


Madness

by bewdofchaos



Series: Equilibrium [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hospitals, I summon my blue eyes banter dragon, M/M, Millenium Puzzle, Miscommunication, Post-Canon, Reunited and It Feels So Good, Slow Burn, backless hospital gowns, why won't anyone talk to eachother?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22022185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewdofchaos/pseuds/bewdofchaos
Summary: Post-series/DSOD. In the last seven years, Yugi has done a lot in order to move on with his life after the events of the ceremonial duel. However, a strange and dangerous presence in Domino City forces him to revisit his past. The events that transpire will change Yugi and his friends' lives forever.
Relationships: Atem/Mutou Yuugi, Mazaki Anzu | Tea Gardner/Mutou Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Series: Equilibrium [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662943
Comments: 63
Kudos: 76





	1. Life goes on

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: brief violence and strong language are present within this chapter. Reader discretion is advised. 
> 
> Hello there! Welcome to my preamble. This story marks my return to the fic business after many, many years. I was inspired to pick up the pen again after stressors in my life spurred on a deep nostalgia dive into one of my favourite anime series from my childhood. This is how I rediscovered Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters. I remember loving this show when I was young, and some of my fondest memories from my childhood involve dueling my childhood best friend. I never expected to leave this re-watch loving Yu-Gi-Oh more than I did back then. But I did, and this newfound love for an old favourite anime inspired me to start creating again.
> 
> This storyline came to me when I was prematurely re-reminded of the ending of the series about halfway through my re-watch. It was borne out of my… displeasure (to put it mildly) surrounding the consequences of the ceremonial duel. I wanted to write a story to use as a vehicle to explore the pain and loss that Yugi must have felt when his "other self" left for the afterlife. Then, as stories often do, it grew like a silent swordsman does as turns pass into the piece you're about to read.
> 
> So, without further ado, I present to you: my love letter to Yu-Gi-Oh.

Murmurs grew and papers shuffled, breaking Yugi out of his trance. Students tossed notebooks in their bags, and started to trickle out of the room. Yugi waited until all of the students had left before standing up. He tucked the papers he was grading carefully into his brown leather backpack, turned off the lights and left the room.

Outside, the air was biting. Fall had set on Domino City. As Yugi walked through the grounds of Domino University towards his usual bus stop, he allowed himself a rare leniency and allowed his mind to wander. Yugi really enjoyed his work. During his masters of archeology and now as a PhD student in anthropology, he had been able to travel the world and see some wonderful places. That being said, Domino City in the fall was certainly one of his all-time favourites. He loved his work, and loved making an extra dollar on the side being a TA for undergraduate courses, but Yugi still couldn't help but wonder what more there was in store for him.

It had been about seven years now since the final adventure. Since – Yugi stopped himself, giving his head a small shake as if to dislodge the thoughts from his mind. Life had gone on afterwards, the jagged edges of the dissection that formed the day he had to say goodbye to his other self healing slowly over time. He knew he was strong enough to stand on his own, to face life's challenges head on with courage and conviction. However, the loss of someone so close to you, no matter how strong you are, leaves a void. Despite the passage of time, that void in Yugi's soul had remained. Having his friends around helped a lot, but Yugi still couldn't help but feel a resounding silence in his mind whenever he stopped moving for long enough to acknowledge it. At first, this silence was deafening, functionally impairing him to the point of concerning his friends and family. The loss of Atem, although in hindsight was expected, hurt just as terribly as losing a...

"Soulmate." Yugi muttered to himself, under his breath. His eyes starting to sting, Yugi tucked his chin deeper into his popped collar in an attempt to fight off the cold breeze. Internally, Yugi chastised himself for allowing his mind to wander to this topic again. Everything he had done in the last seven years was to try to protect himself from this void, and the tortuous downward spiral it had the tendency to pull him into. Yugi poured his heart and soul into his schooling, his friends, and helping his grandpa out at the card shop. Yugi had chosen sometime ago to retire from tournament duelling in order to hopefully dissuade Kaiba from making his life a living hell while trying to resurrect – him again. Yugi felt his heart twist in his chest as he got on the bus. He sat down and watched the buildings go by as the bus took its familiar route back towards the card shop. A lot had changed in his life, but somethings never did.

Yugi waved a greeting at the teenaged employee minding the desk. He mindlessly turned the key in the lock to the private residence at the back of the shop, where upon opening the door, he was met by a chipper greeting. He tossed his bag down in the doorway as Tea came down the stairs, gave him a peck on the cheek (eliciting his usual school boyish blush) and tugged him upstairs gently.

"I hope you're not too tired! I invited Joey, Mai, Tristan and Serenity over for dinner tonight. They should be here in a half an hour, and of course I think I bit off more than I can chew with the dinner prep. You're on chopping duty!" Tea made a sweeping gesture towards the pile of vegetables sitting on the countertop. Yugi chuckled. Typical Tea.

A lovely aroma of beef roast was filling the house while the two worked harmoniously. After an injury prematurely ended Tea's career on Broadway, Tea came back to Domino in order to open her own dance school. They had started dating during Yugi's fourth year of undergrad, and had been together ever since. Joey and Tristan tried the whole collage thing, but found their talents laid elsewhere. Joey and Mai had been together for years now, and were still taking part in the duelist circuit as the power couple of Duel Monsters. Their combined tournament winnings were enough to live off of, but they occasionally did odd jobs and picked up shifts in the game shop when they came back. Tristan and Serenity were still going strong, and were still hanging around Domino. Yugi continued to chop the lettuce for the salad as a smile briefly tugged at his lips. Yugi internally remarked how lucky he was to still have his friends nearby. Well, most of them.

Again, a pit formed at the base of his heart and his eyes stung. Making deft work of the remaining vegetables and muttering something about onions, Yugi excused himself to go get ready.

"What has gotten into me today?" he murmured.

Yugi found himself in front of the bathroom mirror, gazing at his reflection, deep in thought. His features had hardened slightly during the passing years. The round baby fat that clung to his cheeks when he was an adolescent had faded, and a few more creases had formed in his brow. He was a late bloomer, and had grown a few inches taller at the end of his adolescence. His voice had deepened as well. His erratic, tri-coloured hair still stood as if permanently electrified. Rubbing at the lipstick stain on his cheek absentmindedly, he looked into his amethyst eyes and let out a sigh. Flash. As if experiencing a vision, Yugi saw fleeting crimson briefly illuminate his irises. Those eyes… his breath caught with a lurch at the striking resemblance his eyes now held to a certain set he had often regarded in the past.

"Dammit!" Yugi cursed, turning away, tears starting to silently run down his cheeks. _It's going to be one of those nights, isn't it?_

The terapist Yugi had seen briefly a few years back had always repeated that grief is unpredictable, and although time may pass, you may never truly stop missing that loved one. The therapist had been somewhat helpful, but was ultimately limited in her assistance because Yugi had always refused to elaborate on the details of his relationship with Atem. All she knew was that he was a dear friend. She never knew how they occupied the same body for years. How they were constantly privy to each other's thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. How their souls had grown together and become intertwined in a way almost no one else will ever experience. And how something… more often lingered on the periphery of their internalized conversations. Something neither had ever addressed, yet was still sensed by the other.

Yugi brought his hands to his face, a rouge sob he'd been holding back breaking forth. Sinking down to the floor, he allowed himself to cry for the first time in a while. He slid his hand instinctively into his jacket pocket, to rest it on one of the few things that brought him solace in times like these: their dueling deck. He took it everywhere with him, as a token of comfort. Many late nights were spent by the two halves assembling and reassembling this deck. Yugi often teasing Atem about his insistence on having Kuriboh in their deck. Atem sniping back with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes about Yugi's enduring fondness for the Dark Magician Girl. Thinking back to those comfortable exchanges, the laughs and that twinkle caused a bubble of laughter to burst from Yugi's lips.

A knock sounded on the bathroom door.

"Yugi, are you done in there? Joey and Mai just arrived and Tea's running around like a mad woman!" Solomon Muto called.

"Yeah, grandpa! I'll be out in a second!" Yugi called back, trying his best to steady his voice.

Splashing some cold water on his face, taking care not to look at himself too long in the mirror, Yugi left to greet the guests and help settle his girlfriend.

The night was filled with just what Yugi needed: fun, food, and friends. Joey and Mai exuberantly told the group about their latest tournament ("You wouldn't believe it Yuge! There I was, in da final, against dis mountain of a man who brought a deck full of plants! Plants of all things, Yuge!"), and Tristan going on about his newest motorbike with the money he had saved up at his car dealership job ("She's a real beauty! Not as beautiful as my Serenity, of course!"). Many beers were consumed, and the usual reminiscing started.

"Ah dat Kaiba! Always had a stick up his ass. He still goes on and on about how he should be considered da top duelist. Gimme a break! Hey Yuge, do you ever think you'll come back to the world of tournament duelling sometime?" Joey inquired.

Yugi looked up from his cheesecake, where he had been lost in thought once again. He gave his usual response, reiterating that he had retired from tournaments. A familiar flash of worry passed over Joey's face. Was this about the Pharaoh again? He understood that Yugi needed his time, but after nearly seven years, surely he'd had it? Deflecting the conversation, Yugi inquired about Mai's new clothing line, which started the boisterous woman on a five minute rant and rave over her blossoming business.

Later that night, after the often riotous laughter died down and the guests had left, Yugi found himself unable to sleep. After staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity, he decided he had to get up and do something to get himself settled. Taking care not to wake Tea when he got out of bed, Yugi slipped into the family room to read for a bit. Not five minutes later, Yugi was startled as a crash sounded, glass exploding. Yugi yelped, ducking behind the coffee table with his heart hammering in his chest. After a full minute spent hunkered down, Yugi peered around the table to survey the scene. In the middle of the family room floor, Yugi noticed a dark, irregularly shaped object sitting in the middle of the floor, surrounded by glass shards. Tentatively creeping over to inspect it, he calmed down considerably when he saw it was just a large rock.

 _It's those neighbourhood kids again._ Yugi thought. _It's_ _just a stupid prank._

That's when Yugi noticed the letter taped to the rock.

//

The time is now. The Pharaoh must pay for what he's done. For the lives he's broken. The Pharaoh must meet me at 4 am tonight at the docks, outside warehouse 331 with his deck. Ignore this request and this city will burn. The bombs have already been planted.

VBK

//

The colour drained from Yugi's face, thoughts starting to swirl at a feverish pace. _VBK?_ _Who is this? How do they know about the Pharaoh? The Pharaoh is gone. There are bombs. "The city will burn". How can the Pharaoh duel if he's gone? The pharaoh is gone. THE PHAROAH IS GONE._

Tea yawned at the base of the stairs, breaking his train of thought.

"Broke another mug, Yugi?" She was used to his insomnia and how he'd putz around downstairs in the middle of the night. She let out a gasp when she saw Yugi crouching in the center of the room, surrounded by glass, holding a letter. "What the hell…"

"Tea." Yugi's voice trembled slightly, "They want the Pharaoh."

"B-but he's gone."

"They are threatening to blow up the city if he doesn't show up."

"What!"

Yugi let out a shaky breath. "Tea, you need to go. Leave the city. You can stay with your cousin, right?"

"Yeah, but you're coming too you know." Tea said matter-of-factly.

"You know what I need to do."

"Yugi! You're not the Pharaoh!"

"I am, though. We are two sides of the same coin. And I need to stay and fight. Anyways, I can't leave in good conscience knowing I didn't try to save my city. It's what he would have done."

 _He._ Tea let out a sigh. She loved Yugi and understood how hard it must have been for him watch the Pharaoh leave for the afterlife. But ever since the pharaoh had left, Yugi was never completely the same. Even when she saw him at his happiest, she'd occasionally catch a flash of sorrow cross his features.

 _Yugi needs to stop living in the past. Yugi needs to look forward like I did. The Pharaoh's gone. He knows this._ Tea thought.

"Yugi..."

"No, Tea." Yugi stood up, the dark obscuring his features "You're leaving, and please take our friends with you. I can handle this."

"I can't let you. I can't… lose you." Tea's voice cracked, but Yugi had already brushed past her to go upstairs. She followed.

Yugi changed out of his pyjamas, pulling on a fresh purple T-shirt and a black collared coat over it. Tea stared on in disbelief. "What are you doing? It's three thirty in the morning!" Tea said incredulously.

"I need to go." He said defiantly, pulling on a pair of black pants. His eyes roamed around the room, finally resting on a gunmetal box resting on the back of his desk. He opened the box, a small smile tugging at his lips as the hoisted the golden pyramid around his neck. Thankfully, when he had briefly encountered Atem in that stadium all of those years back, Atem had feigned destroying the puzzle to deter Kaiba from trying to take it back. He instead transported the puzzle somewhere safe: back into the possession of its rightful owner. Feeling its familiar weight resting on his chest brought back so many memories. But now was not the time to reminisce. He grabbed his duel disk from its box in the closet, a brand new one Kaiba Corp had sent him just a few months back to try to entice him to return to their tournaments, and fluidly attached it to his left wrist.

He brushed by Tea again as he headed for the stairs.

"Yugi stop!"

He looked over his shoulders, his amethyst eyes almost black in the dark hallway. "I will catch up with you later once I'm done with this madman. Do not follow me, Tea." Yugi ran downstairs and out into the night.

* * *

Slowing his pace as he got to the docks, Yugi checked his phone. 3:48 AM. His heart was hammering out of his chest.

_All I need to do is emulate Atem. I can do that right? We look similar, and in the dark, no once would be able to tell the difference. Just one quick duel, send this guy packing, and the city is saved! I am the King of Games after all._

Rounding the corner of warehouse 331, Yugi stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed a dark figure standing below a streetlight.

"Show yourself!" Yugi proclaimed, in the deepest, most authoritative voice he could muster.

"Ahh Pharaoh, I see you still have a soft spot for saving humanity. It's really a shame. For being so powerful, you don't use that power very well."

The figure sauntered closer to Yugi, his cloak billowing out behind him. He looked up from below his cowl, revealing a shock of white hair and piercing blue eyes.

"I've been waiting a long time for my revenge, Pharaoh…." The man's brow furrowed. "You're not the Pharaoh."

Yugi's heart skipped a beat.

"How dare you. I am the pharaoh." Yugi said steadily, glaring at the mysterious man. _Just behave like him. Convince this psycho you are him._ Yugi crossed his arms, standing as straight as he could. "In fact, I grow weary of your antics and disrespect. If I beat you in a duel, do you promise to leave Domino City and its residents alone for good?"

"I requested the pharaoh."

"Well, HERE I AM!" Yugi bellowed, bristling. "Are we going to duel or not?"

"You are not the pharaoh. But this could work… Alright. If you win, I will leave the city alone. But if I win, you will deliver me the pharaoh. We've got a score to settle. And while I wait, I will take steps to ruin your life." The man replied nonchalantly.

The last sentence sent a chill down Yugi's spine. _Ruin my life? How? But what choice do I have. I have to duel._ "Very well, I accept. Let's duel." Yugi responded with bravado he didn't feel. He activated his disk and drew his cards.

"Alright."

About a dozen cloaked individuals emerged out of the shadows to encircle the two men. Yugi started to sweat.

The duel ensued. Once summoned, the Dark Magician made quick work of his opponent's Cyber dragon cards. However, the pendulum swung when a series of fusion monsters were summoned in a skillful combo by Yugi's opponent. After a few pristinely orchestrated moves, the mystery duelist had Yugi down to his last 200 life points.

Yugi's hand hovered hesitantly over his deck as he prepared to draw. _I've got to draw the card I need._ A bead of sweat dripped from Yugi's temple.

He drew. It wasn't meant to be. In a quick flash of the hand and a confidently called command, the mystery duelist took Yugi's last 200 LP. Sinking down into a crouch on the cold asphalt, Yugi's heart sank. _Oh Ra, I lost._

"As expected, you were too weak to defeat me!" The man crowed. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!"

Startled, Yugi raised his gaze. The white-haired man cackled, his hood falling away. A strange device was attached to his temples. His piercing blue eyes turned white, and Yugi felt his body get thrown back against the warehouse wall. A flash of white obscured his vision as his head hit the ground violently.

"You're not the pharaoh! YOU NEVER WILL BE, YUGI!" The man shrieked.

_H-how does he know?_

"I need the pharaoh. We have a score to settle. He took away something precious to me and he must pay." The man said darkly as he strode on over.

Crouching down over Yugi, he looked like a predator regarding his kill.

_Those blue eyes…_

"You will bring me the pharaoh. You have one week, or else this city will pay. But first, I must teach you a lesson: why you must never lie, you insignificant runt of a man." the man spat in Yugi's face.

Hands grabbed Yugi, hauling him to his feet. He felt the first blow in his abdomen. Another crack behind the ear. A kick to the ribs. The beating intensified, white hot flashes of pain radiating all throughout Yugi's body. He cried out again and again, but to no avail. Mercifully, the darkness finally consumed Yugi, his unconscious, bloody body was left by the hooded men unceremoniously on the ground.

* * *

A hiss of the respirator. The quiet ticks of the cardiac monitor. Occasionally, the IV machine would beep, the nurse would come back in and switch the bag. This was the macabre symphony of noises that rung throughout the ICU room where Yugi resided, sedated and intubated.

A warehouse worker had found his badly beaten body a few minutes later when he had come in for his early morning shift. EMS was called, and they brought him into the hospital. His doctors had found his Grandpa's number in his phone and called it. Now, Solomon, Tea, Joey, Mai, Tristan and Serenity were all trying to get into the room where Yugi was.

"We can only have two people in the room at a given time…" the nurse said obstinately. Joey started to lose his cool at her flippant attitude.

"Can't you see, he needs us!" Joey protested.

The doctors, who were in the middle of their morning rounds, stepped out of Yugi's room. Upon seeing the commotion, they beckoned the crew over for an update.

"Yugi was badly beaten. He's got a subarachnoid hemorrhage from the head trauma and some brain edema. He also has multiple fractured ribs and a hemopneumothorax. He's in tough shape." The attending Dr. Fenwick said levelly, his hazel eyes empathetic. "We are doing all we can for the cerebral edema, but only time will tell."

"W-will he die?" Tea asked shakily.

"With the brain swelling, if it gets much worse, he can herniate and choke off the blood supply to his brain. We can try surgically intervening if it looks like that will happen, but even that may not save him. It's touch and go." The junior resident Dr. Shi stated, in a matter of fact tone.

"Go on in, all of you. He needs his family right now." the senior resident Dr. Dow said gently, her blue eyes meeting every one of theirs.

Yugi's friends encircled his bed, in various states of anger and despair. They stood there in silence, looking at their friend, bruised and broken, lying unconscious with tubes and lines coming out of every orifice. Over the next few days, they took shifts at his bedside, with someone sleeping there every night.

Meanwhile, Yugi's consciousness floated in a midnight pool, away but not far from his physical body. He could hear and sense what was happening to his body, the pain he felt, the words of his friends, but he was merely a spectator to all the horror and heartbreak happening on Earth. Yugi had not stopped crying since he had finally realized what had happened.

_That madman is still out there, doing Ra knows what. I let my friends, my city, myself and Atem down. How could I think I could be a strong as the Pharaoh? That man was right, I am worthless. And worse, I am alone._

Overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy and failure, Yugi screamed into the void that housed his soul. His pain, his anger and his despair exploding from his soul like lightning. He cried out again and again, his soul feeling like it was tearing in half. Somewhere, a machine was starting to beep more frequently.

 _How can it tear? My soul is already in half._ Yugi thought bitterly. A fresh wave of anger washed over Yugi.

 _Atem, how could you!?_ He raged irrationally. _I've spent my entire life thinking about others, being selfless. Putting myself in harm's way to help. And I do not regret a single moment of it. The only thing I regret is not going after the one thing I wanted in life. I should have been selfish for once, before that duel. I should have found a way for you to stay, for at least a little bit longer. I should have told you I wanted you to stay…_

_Atem, if you can hear me, the world needs you again. Fuck, I need you. Atem, Ra-dammit CAN YOU HEAR ME? I NEED YOU!_

Yugi screamed once again, an almost animalistic, hysterical howl erupting from his soul. Yugi felt like he may cease to exist the second this noise stopped. His soul was on fire. A blinding light obscured his vision. A machine furiously beeped.

The noise stopped. Silence. The midnight pool had become a silver floor, marbled with veins of gold. Yugi was on his hands and knees, out of breath and shaking. His silent tears fell quietly on the floor. It was in that moment, he sensed he wasn't alone.

Looking up slowly, blinking away the tears that were blurring his vision, a man came into focus. Hair like a sunburst: gold bangs, black hair trimmed in crimson. Two crimson eyes, wide in shock and brimming with tears just like his. Yugi stood up, frozen in place. Amethyst locked on crimson. He couldn't breathe.

"Yugi?" a soft, deep voice uttered, crimson eyes shimmering. Yugi's chest heaved.

The two halves magnetically drew together into an embrace. Atem buried his face into Yugi's hair, while Yugi's tears flowed freely into the crook of Atem's neck.

"Is… is it really you, Yugi?" Atem's voice broke. Yugi felt the strong chest he had plastered himself against heave and shudder.

"Yes, Atem. It's me. Oh, how I've missed you."

"As have I, _Aibou_."

The two Pharaohs held each other, neither one wanting to let go.

Atem cupped a hand around Yugi's face, as if to gauge whether it really existed or if this was all in his imagination.

"You can't be here… that means… you've passed on." his face became clouded with so many emotions Yugi could not sort them all out. But he could feel them all rushing though his consciousness, just like when they were connected by the millennium puzzle.

"I don't know if I have, but last I could tell, I was in dire shape."

"How?"

"Atem, there's something going on in Domino city."

Yugi filled in Atem on the mysterious cloaked man, and his insistence on duelling the Pharaoh. How he tried not stand up to this man. How he'd been beaten senselessly. Yugi felt Atem's fury build.

"Atem, the world needs you again. I-I need you…to help. Even the strongest are stronger… together. I can't do this all alone." Yugi finished, placing a hand on Atem's shoulder.

Atem's eyes shone like rubies, and his hair started to flare. Yugi took a few steps back, sensing the powerful magic coursing through Atem's body.

"Very well, Yugi. But I can't do this alone either. I need you too." Atem's voice echoed. "I think its time to pick up where we left off, Aibou?"

A triumphant smirk graced Yugi's lips. "Don't you know it, my other self. But how?"

"Leave that to me, Yugi." Atem closed his eyes.

A flash of golden light burst from the Pharaoh's body, and Yugi felt his soul being tugged back to earth. The millennium puzzle that remained around his neck even while in his hospital bed glowed.

 _I hope you don't mind if I take over, Yugi. I think I may be able to heal up your body enough if I'm in control._ Atem's said through the mind link, which had re-established.

_Knock yourself out. Wait, maybe don't do that. My head's been in better shape._

A deep chuckle and a burst of warmth transited through the link, causing Yugi to chuckle back.

Tea had fallen asleep sitting in a chair, her head resting on the edge of the hospital bed by Yugi's legs. Crimson eyes flicked open. Atem sputtered as he pulled out the endotracheal, nasogastric and IV tubes. Thankfully, the chest tube had been removed the day before. He quietly swung his legs over the edge of the bed, trying his best not to wake Tea, taking a shaky step towards the bag containing Yugi's personal items.

Yugi felt the pain radiating from Atem as he struggled to move their body towards the door. Yugi's form appeared next to Atem. _Are you ok? We can rest for a bit if my body's too much to handle._

Atem winked. _You've never been too much to handle._

Yugi felt a confused flush creep up to his cheeks at the odd remark. _Well, at least let me help you!_

Atem took slow deliberate steps towards the door, with Yugi's form now under his arm for support, moral more than physical. Atem made it halfway down the hallway before a voice called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Y-Yugi?"

Both Pharaohs remained frozen in place.

"Yugi, is that you? How… how…" Tea choked out, as if she was staring at a ghost.

The tricolour haired man slowly turned around. Yugi seemed a bit taller… and his eyes were crimson.

"Oh my god, A-Atem?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a moment, please review. Feedback's the only way you become a better duelist, er, writer. I guess I technically write for a living, but my usual reports are a tad more… clinical in nature. So good, bad or otherwise, your feedback is valuable to me!


	2. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! So, this is the shortest chapter I've written for this story. Sorry! Having said that, I like the way this one turned out, so I thought I wouldn't belabour it. I hope you enjoy! A song is referenced in this chapter, which is one of my favourites, which I thought was well suited for some of the emotions experienced in this chapter. Check the A/N at the end of this chapter for the name.

"Pharaoh… how?" Tea said approaching Atem hesitantly as if she was approaching a wild animal. Atem stood in the hallway silent, his eyes not leaving hers.

"I-is my Yugi still there? What are you doing back? How?" Tea stammered in confusion, continuing to walk forward.

 _My Yugi?_ Atem inquired through the link.

 _I will fill you in later._ Yugi said dismissively.

Tea now stood in front of Atem, her eyes wide as she took in a sight she never thought she'd see again. She closed the gap and hugged Atem warmly. After a startled moment, Atem encircled her with his arms.

"It's so good to see you again, Pharaoh!"

"Hello, Tea." Atem responded affectionately, a small smile tugging at his lips. He had missed his friends. "It's good to see you too. As for your questions, Yugi told me what happened. How he… got hurt. His soul cried out to mine, and somehow pulled me out of the afterlife and back to him." Atem explained.

"Where is he?"

"He's here. I took over his body so I could speed up the healing process."

"Oh good. I just want him to be ok." Tea relaxed noticeably.

Atem regarded her for a moment in quiet contemplation. The way she talked about Yugi, the worry and concern colouring her face. Her relationship with Yugi must now go beyond friends. Atem made a mental note to return to this later, and for now, dismissed this line of thought. There were more pressing matters at hand than his other self's love life. Something needed to be about this mystery duelist.

"There's no time to lose, Tea. Something must be done about this mystery duelist. We need to leave." Atem said. Despite Tea's objections that he should stay to be cleared by the medical staff, Atem turned on his sock clad heel and started towards the exit. He nearly made it there, but he was once again stopped by another voice calling out to him.

"M-Mr. Muto?"

The three doctors from before stood at the nursing desk at the end of the hallway, flabbergasted looks plastered on each of their faces.

"I will be checking out now." Atem stated matter-of-factly.

"but… but you were intubated. This can't be happening." Dr. Fenwick stammered, looking at the Pharaoh as if he was starting at a ghost. "Your injuries…"

"Your brain…" Dr. Shi faltered.

"Your… stature. You're shorter than I would have expected." Dr. Dow said, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Your priorities..." Dr. Shi muttered, shaking her head at her distractible colleague.

Yugi and Atem shared a brief look before Atem barrelled on.

"Just give me whatever paperwork you need me to sign and I will be on my way." Atem demanded.

"You know this is against medical advice…" Dr. Dow stated.

"Very well. I accept the risks." Atem sighed impatiently, making a motion for the doctor to hand him the paperwork.

Dr. Dow shook her head and fished out a couple forms from behind the desk. She held out the papers warily. With a scrawl, Atem thrust them back at her. He then motioned for Tea to follow, and burst out of the ward, his half open hospital gown billowing in his wake.

* * *

While Tea drove back to the Muto residence, Atem rested his head against the passenger side window, staring at the buildings as they rushed by. Tea and Atem had not spoken a word to each other since entering the car.

 _Atem seems preoccupied._ She mused. _He's probably discussing the plan of attack with Yugi._

In reality, the two men were not really 'discussing' per se, but were rather in the middle of a heated argument. Yugi's form was currently sitting on the dash trying to get Atem's attention.

 _Atem, we need a plan._ _This guy means business. There's something about him. He's not just any ordinary delinquent._

_I know, Yugi. But the quicker we get this done, the less time this duelist has to change his mind and decide to wreak havoc on the city here and now. We do not know the full extent of what he's capable of._

_We can't just barrel in blind! He had powers!_

Atem did not respond and his crimson eyes darkened. Yugi was then taken aback by the emotion he felt from Atem's side of the link. He could feel anger washing off Atem like waves.

 _Why are you so angry, partner?_ Yugi inquired gently.

 _He hurt you, is that not enough?_ Atem curtly responded, eyes still fixed on the scenery as he was trying to maintain his outward composure. Yugi sensed that Atem was blocking part of his thought stream, which further emphasized that there must be something else contributing to Atem's anger. Yugi opened his mouth to continue his line of questioning, but Tea had chosen this moment to finally speak.

"Well, here we are." Tea announced, parking the car outside the game shop. She turned her gaze to Atem, who had begun to look more and more irritable as the ride had progressed.

 _Very well, Yugi._ Atem sighed internally. _We will take tonight off and plan. I guess it's for the best, as healing your body has taken a lot out of me._

 _Our body._ Yugi corrected with a smile. _What's mine is yours._ Atem couldn't help but smile at the olive branch his _Aibou_ was holding out.

As Atem and Tea walked into the family room, they were greeted by a whole crowd of familiar faces. Joey, Tristan, Duke, Mai, Bakura and Serenity. Solomon Muto was even here too. Tea had called ahead while they were leaving the hospital to get everyone to meet at the Muto's residence for an emergency meeting. Once the initial shock of seeing the Pharaoh walk through the door had passed, he was greeted warmly by his friends.

"Welcome back to the land of da living, Pharaoh!" Joey clapped Atem's shoulder, causing him to wince mildly. Atem then flashed him a smile in return.

"Hello, my friend. How have you been?"

Over the next hour, the crew was filled in on the recent events. How Atem had been brought back to this realm by Yugi, the mystery duelist, and the new threat to the city. A loud and often chaotic conversation ensued regarding what should be done.

"What the hell! I thought we had shut down all of the megalomaniacs who wanted to take over the world a long time ago!" Tristan exclaimed.

"They never really stop, Tristan" Atem said darkly, shaking his head.

Feeling his partner's strength staring to fade, Yugi appeared on Atem's periphery. _Mind if I take over?_ Eyes went wide as the face they were all talking to changed suddenly, amethyst eyes replacing crimson.

"Yugi!" A chorus of voices cried incredulously.

"Hey guys. We need your help more than ever, but honestly, it's been a long day and Atem and I have some things we need to discuss. Could we call it a day?" Begrudgingly, they obliged and slowly made their leave from the Muto residence. After the crew had left and Solomon had retired to his own room, Yugi and Tea were left in the kitchen, putting away the freshly cleaned dishes.

"I'm going to take the spare room tonight, Tea."

"…ok. Makes sense, I guess, with you and the Pharaoh sharing a body again and all. I will see you in the morning." Tea gave Yugi a quick kiss and went upstairs.

Atem materialized on the countertop beside Yugi, his legs dangling nonchalantly. They were both silent for a moment, before Atem finally caved and broached the topic that had been on his mind since the hospital.

_So… you and Tea…_

"Yeah." Pause.

_How long?_

"A couple of years. I needed something good in my life, and she's a great girl." Yugi responded, his eyes fixated on the dish he was drying.

_That's great, Yugi. I'm glad you're happy. She is a great girl._

Yugi looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly. Then Atem felt a brief twinge of… hurt? from Yugi's side of the mind link before Yugi tossed up a brief mental block between them.

 _Aibou? What's going on?_ Atem asked, concern colouring his words.

"Nothing at all." Yugi said, now composed. His words were said so convincingly, but they still left Atem with an odd sensation that Yugi was displeased for some reason. Before Atem could pry further, Yugi started to change the topic, moving his part of the conversation to the mind link.

 _Speaking of women, how was revising your old girlfriends in the afterlife?_ Yugi joked.

 _Honestly, they left something to be desired._ Atem responded, his eyes capturing Yugi's.

A deep warmth radiated from Atem's side of the link, catching Yugi off guard. He had felt that warmth many times before from Atem in the years when they shared a body, but had never thought too much about it at the time. But today, something about that warmth and the glimmer in Atem's eyes caused his heart to skip a beat. He had always chalked up that warmth as a by-product of their profound closeness, but today, he started to wonder if that was indeed really all there was to it. Or conversely, perhaps he was just overanalyzing all of this and making connections that were not really there. As Yugi became more confused about what he was sensing from Atem's side of the link and started to question his sanity, a set of lyrics bubbled up from Yugi's subconscious, along with a melodic voice bringing them to life.

/I can't get these memories out of my mind… and some kind of madness has started to evolve/

Atem sensed Yugi internally mumbling to himself about madness and heard a tune he could not place. Atem became even more confused about his _Aibou_ 's odd behaviour. Something was going on. Atem debated pressing the topic further, but instead, decided that Yugi would come around and talk about it when he's ready.

 _They were much more self-centered than I remembered them to be._ Atem chuckled lightly, attempting to defuse the situation by returning to the topic at hand. That seemed to do the trick. Yugi laughed aloud, remembering a girl he had briefly dated like that.

_Anyways, I have been doing some thinking, and you're right. We need a plan. And I think that plan starts with Pegasus._

"Pegasus?" Yugi asked aloud. "Why?"

_Remember when Pegasus was fixated on bringing back his beloved from the afterlife and returning her to physical form?_

"Yeah, I remember."

_Well, I think our best bet at beating this mystery duelist involves getting my body back._

"Do you really think that is possible?" Yugi asked, appearing mildly surprised.

 _I think it is. And I think Pegasus knows how._ Atem said with a confident smirk.

"Ok, but that's a task for tomorrow. I need to sleep. My body's not quite at one hundred percent yet." Yugi said, rubbing his head.

Atem nodded, fading back into the puzzle. Yugi went upstairs, cleaned up, and settled himself in the guest room. He laid his head down, and closed his eyes. But sleep wouldn't come. His mind was racing, as it usually did. Occasionally, it would circle back to that song that had been ringing around in his mind since earlier that evening.

/I tried so hard to let you go… but some kind of madness is swallowing me whole/

 _Atem?_ Yugi reached out to the spirit that once again resided within the Millennium Puzzle.

 _Can't sleep?_ Atem materialized, taking a seat at the foot of his bed.

 _Yeah. I haven't been able to sleep well in a long time._ Yugi rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling.

_Why is that?_

_Too much on my mind, I suppose._

_What is on your mind?_

_I honestly don't even know where to begin…_

Atem silently regarded Yugi for a moment. He recalled the countless times where Yugi had been kept up because of his anxieties back when they were together those many years ago. Yugi had once explained to his friends why he started sleeping with the puzzle nearby, and occasionally around his neck. He said he found it's presence comforting and calming. However, Yugi had elaborated to Atem later on that it wasn't the puzzle itself that helped, it was having someone he was close with nearby that helped quell the anxieties and turmoil he often experienced when trying to fall asleep.

This gave Atem an idea.

_Move._

Yugi raised his head to look at Atem, a confused look on his face. Atem motioned with a tilt of his head for Yugi to move towards the edge if the bed. Yugi nodded reluctantly, and scooted towards one edge of the double bed, laying on his side facing outwards.

"Like this?"

Atem's form walked around to the opposite edge of the bed and laid down, his back resting gently against Yugi's. Although not physically there, Yugi could still feel Atem's presence like a warm blanket against his back. The thoughts that had been racing through his mind settled as Yugi focused on the warmth and comfort he felt while in Atem's proximity.

 _I will stay here as long as you need me._ Atem quietly thought, sensing Yugi's tension start to melt. He began sending calming thoughts through their link.

 _Thank you._ A deep warmth spread from Yugi's side of the link, not unlike the one he had felt from Atem before, as he drifted off to sleep peacefully for the first time in years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review if you've got a moment! I'm currently in the editing stages of the next chapter, and oh boy, it's a bit of a doozy…
> 
> Song: Madness by Muse. Give it a listen if you haven't heard it already!


	3. Black Holes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I loved writing this chapter, it was a lot of fun. I also feel like I'm starting to get a bit better at this whole writing thing. Grab your popcorn, your beverage of choice and buckle up! This chapter's a bit of a ride.

The next morning, Yugi and Atem were sitting at the kitchen table discussing the best way to handle Pegasus. Given Pegasus' penchant for the dramatic and his occasional sadistic tendencies, they needed to figure out the best way to convince Pegasus to share his theory on how to make a soul corporeal again without having to do something unsavory in return.

 _I think I need to be the one to talk to him._ Atem countered. _When he hears my voice, he will understand._

"No Atem, there's no way he'd believe that you were you. He'd probably hang up thinking it was a prank or something."

_Come on, I will put on my most regal tone and he will have to believe it is me. I can be very convincing, you know._

"Yeah, like all of the times you tried to convince Kaiba to accept the truth about his ancient Egyptian past? Or when you tried to convince Joey that the Egyptians worshiped goats and not cats?" Yugi retorted, his eyes gleaming.

_I will have you know, Joey fell for that one for a week! How can you not remember this?_

Tea stood by the kitchen counter, not wanting to interrupt. She sipped her coffee and watched Yugi have a jovial conversation with thin air. _Yugi seems… different._ Tea thought. _I haven's seen that look in his eyes in years._

"Ok, ok, ok… how about this? I will make the call, but if he wants to meet up with us, then it's all you. Is that alright, _my liege?_ " Yugi play-mocked, watching the Pharaoh furrow his brow in fake disgust.

 _I swear, people nowadays do not know anything about respect._ Atem quipped back, eyes twinkling mirthfully.

Yugi laughed as he selected Pegasus' contact on his phone. He held up a finger, as if to quiet Atem, who of course could not interrupt the call even if he wanted to in his current spectral state.

"Uh, yes. This is Yugi Muto. I'd like to request a word with Pegasus… Yes, I will hold." A few seconds later, a flamboyant voice rang from the receiver.

"Yugi boy! Long time, no talk. Did you finally come to your senses about that job offer?"

 _A job offer?_ Atem inquired. Yugi waved him off.

"We can discuss that later, Pegasus. Right now, I have a more pressing matter. I remember back during the Duelist Kingdom tournament, you were trying to use the Millennium items to resurrect Cecelia and make her a physical body again. How would that have worked?"

"That's an odd question, Yugi boy. Why do you ask?"

"I'm just curious, that's all."

"Really? That's an odd thing to be curious about. Hmmm, make a physical body…" Pegasus pondered the unusual request for a moment. "Well, if you really must know, this is a topic best discussed over lunch, and luckily for you, I am in Domino City for business meetings today. Care to meet? Oh, and please bring the Pharaoh as well, it's been so long." Pegasus purred.

"P-Pharaoh? What are you talking about?" Yugi stammered.

"Don't be coy, Yugi boy. Why else would you ask such a question? Noon at Remedy Cafe. Don't be late." _Click._

Yugi put down his phone and looked up at his other self. "Well Atem, are you hungry?"

The puzzle flashed briefly as Atem took over.

"I could eat." Atem responded, not missing a beat. He got up from the table, gave a small nod of acknowledgement to Tea, and went upstairs to get dressed.

* * *

Tea leaned against the doorway to their shared bedroom while she watched Atem take his turn bantering with thin air.

"It's cold outside, Yugi. We need a coat."

 _Of course. I'm just surprised that this is coming from the guy who despises wearing sleeves while he duels._ Yugi shook his head playfully.

"The heat of the duel makes my arms too warm. You of all people should know this." Atem responded in kind, tossing one of Yugi's jackets on. He then triumphantly strode towards the door, clad in a dark blue jacket over a black sleeveless top and almost-too-tight forest green pants.

"We should be back in a few hours." Atem said to Tea in passing as he squeezed by her to get to the hallway.

"Yug- Atem, wait!"

He swivelled around to face Tea.

"Uh, take care ok? Both of you. Pegasus is crafty, be on your guard." She said meekly. Atem sensed this was not all she wanted to say. But after a moment of silence to see if she would elaborate, he decided to respond.

"We will be safe, and I promise to return him to you in one piece." Atem flashed a thumbs up and made for the door. Tea stared on as Atem left, a sense of uneasiness washing over her. She knew the type of means Pegasus would use to achieve and end, and dealing with Pegasus always seemed to come at a price.

* * *

Atem opened the door to the small bustling café, the spicy aroma of chai and curry enveloping him. Pegasus waiting at a corner table in the café, sipping a chai. Atem bypassed the counter and took a seat across from Pegasus.

"Ahh, if it isn't the Pharaoh himself! I sensed from your partner you were back." Pegasus remarked triumphantly.

"I don't have time for small talk, Pegasus. There is someone threatening the safety of the city if I don't comply with his demands. I need my own body, and I think you know how to make that happen."

"Why go through all of the trouble? Why don't you confront this person in your shared body? Seems like the path of least resistance to me."

Atem faltered. "Yugi tried to confront him on my behalf, and was overwhelmed by this duelist's power. He got severely injured in the process. I... I can't let him get hurt again because of issues that only pertain to me." Atem murmured, shifting uneasily in his chair.

Yugi appeared in his line of vision. _Is this why you want a body? You don't need to coddle me. You know, even if you get one, I will still be right by your side when you deal with the mystery duelist. We are a team._

 _Yugi, this is not the time nor the place._ Atem snapped his head around to shoot him a warning look.

_Like hell, Atem!_

Noticing the prolonged silence and the Pharaoh's glare fixed upon thin air, Pegasus started to laugh. "Ooo, having a bit of a lover's quarrel are we? Does Yugi not appreciate your inference regarding his physical strength, or rather, lack there of?" Pegasus gleefully quipped.

"Quiet down, both of you." Atem growled, "Pegasus, will you help me or not?" Crimson eyes darting over to meet Pegasus'.

"What's in it for me?"

"I'm sure having a former world champion such as myself come back to the field would drum up business…" Atem mused aloud, sitting back in his chair. He could still sense Yugi fuming on his periphery.

Pegasus' face lit up like a little boy on Christmas morning. "You have a deal!" Pegasus fished a book out of his bag, an old leather-bound journal. "It's all in here. I trust you won't go spreading any of the, erm, juicier details you may find in this book around."

Atem did not want to know what Pegasus was referring to. So instead, he accepted the book with a nod, and got up to leave.

"I will hold you to your word Pharaoh. Your first duel back in the spotlight will be for my benefit…" Pegasus started, but Atem was already walking towards the doorway.

* * *

_What was that about, Atem?_

The two selves were now back home, sitting on the floor on opposite sides of Yugi's room. Yugi's eyes were shooting daggers at Atem's non-corporeal form, and Atem shooting them right back.

_I don't want to discuss this any further, Yugi. You've done enough. There's no need to risk your safety anymore._

_You don't think I can handle myself? I am not the weak little high school kid I was when we first met, Atem. I can take care of myself. I choose what risks I want to take, and I'm not leaving you to deal with this new threat alone. Plus, we've been in worse situations than this and you know it!_ Yugi shouted angrily through the link.

As he listened to Yugi say his piece, Atem couldn't help but notice how over the last seven years, Yugi had really grown. He looked at his _Aibou_ , whose appearance, voice, and presence now resembled his own. He had developed into a courageous, strong, and down to earth man, who fought for what he believed in no matter what adversity he faced. His inner light shone as brightly as ever. Atem couldn't help but feel proud at the man Yugi had become.

_I know you can, Hikari. And for the record, I never once thought you were weak. Not even all of those years back. In fact, you're one of the bravest individuals I've ever had the fortune of knowing. I just want to keep you safe, especially how…_

_How what?_

_You nearly died because of me already. I- I don't know if I could live with myself if I used your body to deal with this new adversary, and you were destroyed in the process._ Atem stared at his _Aibou_ , gaze unwavering albeit slightly guarded.

Something about Atem's gaze made Yugi take pause. Yugi once again sensed there was more to this than just Atem's concerns about his safety, and Atem's cyclical answers were starting to wear thin. Yugi got up, crossed the floor and lowered himself down beside the Pharaoh's spectral form.

 _Atem, come on. I know there's something you're not telling me. Your answers seem… incomplete. Please, tell me what's really going on._ Yugi inquired gently.

A pause. Then through the link, Yugi started to sense vague feelings of uncertainty and apprehension. Before he could inquire as to why Atem was anxious, those feelings were replaced by resolve.

 _Can I show you something?_ Atem turned to meet Yugi's gaze.

Yugi nodded once. The puzzle glowed, and Yugi felt himself being drawn into it. He now stood in the dark anteroom he'd had become very familiar with over the many years of sharing a body with Atem. Yugi's soul room door stood to his left, and Atem's to the right. Atem had his hand on his own door's knob.

"This way, Yugi." Atem said with a small smile.

They walked through the door, and Yugi was taken aback. Gone were the labyrinth-like staircases, hallways and drop offs of time gone by. They had been replaced with a regal looking room, decorated in purple and gold, with a distinct Egyptian flair. Numerous artifacts and paintings depicting various aspects of Atem's Egyptian life were organized around the room.

"Your room…" Yugi gasped.

"Like the renovation?" Atem chuckled. "When I got my memories back, this place became a better reflection of who I am as a person. However nice, this room is not our final stop. Come with me."

They walked through a few different rooms on their way to their destination. These rooms they traversed through clearly were borne out of the various memories Atem shared with his friends and family, past and present, throughout his life. After walking through a lovely ornate golden doorway, Atem stopped and made a gesture for Yugi to take a look.

This room was very familiar to Yugi. It looked identical to his grandpa's family room. The old TV was on the stand. The worn couches were clearly well used and well loved. Duel monster cards were strewn haphazardly on the coffee table, as if someone had just opened up a bunch of booster packs. But the most remarkable part about this room was the pictures on the various end tables and walls. The images would change very few seconds, and showcased many of the adventures Atem had with Joey, Tea, Tristan and Kaiba. Bakura and Marik were even featured in some of these photos.

"Atem, this is so lovely. All of our friends…" Yugi began, starting to make his way around the room.

Atem paced over to stand beside Yugi, who was inspecting a photo of Atem battling Joey at the end of the Battle City tournament.

"Although there were some hardships, I treasure every one of these memories and every person I made them with." Atem said with a smile.

"Amazing." Yugi murmured, reliving his own version of these memories. Yugi then came to the strange realization that he had not seen himself in any of these photos.

"We're not quite done yet. Follow me." Atem strode off towards a door at the end of the room, opening it for Yugi.

This next room was even more familiar. It looked identical to Yugi's room from the days when they shared the puzzle. Toys and games were strewn about. His bed was in the corner of the room. The always messy desk was positioned below the skylight. There was something different about this desk, though. Placed in the center of the desk was a solitary picture frame. Yugi reached out and picked up the frame. Then his consciousness was enveloped by thousands of memories all coming to life right before his eyes. Every memory, good, bad or otherwise that Atem and Yugi shared during their time together were embedded in this one object. Their joyful faces looking at each other as they won a duel. A heart broken Yugi being expelled from the circle as Atem used the seal of Orichalcos. Their joyful reunion after that. Many, many more memories surrounded Yugi as he shook his head in awe, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Oh Atem…"

"This is my favourite room, Yugi. I made this room when I was in the afterlife. Our… separation was the hardest thing I've ever had to endure." Atem said softly, in a distinctly vulnerable tone Yugi had only heard a few times before.

Yugi turned to face the other man, whose eyes were shadowed despite the well-lit room. Yugi took a couple steps towards the Pharaoh.

"Atem…" Yugi uttered, his eyes seeking Atem's. When Atem finally looked up from the floor, Yugi found them shimmering with an emotion he could not quite place.

Taking a deep breath as if to steady himself and choosing his words carefully, Atem finally spoke. "You asked why I want my own body. You're right, there's another reason. If I can make myself a body somehow, I think its my best chance to stay for good this time. With… you."

It was in this moment that Yugi became aware of how close they were. He could feel the warmth radiating from Atem's body. See every line on his face. His crimson eyes projecting hurt, fear and… love?

Yugi immediately tossed up a mental block, turning away rather abruptly. _Love? Is he… in love with me? No, don't be silly Yugi. We just share a special bond, that's all. And anyways, how could such a wonderful, strong and kind man fall in love with someone like me? He's got a heart of gold, an infectious smile and a body of a Greek (Egyptian?) god. Oh wait…. no, no, no... Oh Ra, this can't be happening…_

/And now, I have finally seen the light. And I have finally realized/

Meanwhile, as Yugi was sorting out what Atem's gesture meant and what was going on in his own mind, all Atem could sense was Yugi's mental block going up and not coming back down. Atem's eyes searched Yugi's face for some sort of reaction, which seemed to cause Yugi to turn away. His heart sinking, Atem tossed up his own mental block. Anger, hurt, rejection and regret washed over Atem as he started to curse himself.

 _Oh Ra, what have I done._ Atem despaired, his heart gripped with fear and shame as he unravelled. _Alright, we are not on the same page. He doesn't feel the same way I do. This is alright. It's alright. Clearly, he's in love with Tea. They're happy. Who am I to think he could even… It's alright. He doesn't see me that way. How could I be so foolish? I have to fix this… I don't want him to distance himself from me because of this. I need to do something now._

Atem quickly composed himself and put on as even of a voice as he could muster. "So yes, as you can see, our friendship is special to me, Yugi. We share a bond like no other. A bond of friendship. And I want to stay around for my friends." Atem flashed a smile that he hoped would put Yugi at ease.

A somewhat distracted Yugi turned to face him, his heart sinking when their eyes met again. Atem's body language had changed. That love Yugi saw in Atem's eyes had vanished… if it was ever really there in the first place. Then Yugi finally started to register what Atem had said while he had spaced out.

"…friends?" Yugi repeated, mildly confused.

"Did you not hear what I just said? I want my body back so I can stay around. Our bond of friendship is one of the most important things I have, and I don't want to ever be without it again." Atem reiterated, hoping for his own sanity's sake that Yugi would buy this explanation.

"Sure, Atem. I'd really like that. I want you to… stay." Yugi said around the lump in his throat. His own confused feelings were swirling, now mixing with apprehension and dread.

"Now, how about we get out of here and get back on task? We only have a few days before the mystery duelist's ultimatum. We've got no time to lose." Atem proclaimed, holding up a shield of bravado as a mental block to hopefully deflect Yugi's attention away from the black hole of rejection and hurt he was currently being pulled into.

Yugi, on the other hand, was sinking into his own pit of confusion, madness and despair. He just realized why these last seven years had been so tough, his other self was actually… his other half. _I'm in love with Atem._ Yugi thought internally, this joyous revelation being tempered with confusion and despair. _But clearly, he doesn't feel the same._ _All of these little moments we shared throughout our time together and that warmth I frequently feel from Atem's side of the link are just a result of our bond of friendship. And Atem doesn't see me as anything more than that. A friend. Just a friend._

"Ok. Let's go."


	4. Blockades

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, this chapter has had a few makeovers since it's original conception, and was the hardest chapter to write in this story. There's a small logistical bit in here that made sense with the initial plot I had planned, but it only now topically makes sense since I changed a few things in the earlier chapters. I decided to leave it in because the character conversations it spurred were amusing to me and I didn't want to fully re-write the chapter. So anyways, here's Wonderwall. Erm, I mean, Blockades.

They both exited the puzzle, Yugi taking back control of their shared body. An uneasy air hung between the two selves.

"Atem…" Yugi started.

"What does the journal say, Yugi?" Atem said quickly, crossing his arms.

Yugi sighed and opened up the distressed leather journal. After a few minutes of flipping and skimming through the journal, he found the passage that they were looking for.

//

Need a strong magical catalyst. Seven Millennium items should take care of this. Use the eye to get in contact with Cecelia, and with the combined power of the remaining items unlocked by the key, pull her soul back to Earth.

Need someone with ancient power to recite Egyptian text from rock. The Pharaoh? Kaiba? Maybe even Yugi? They can tap into the ancient magic. Kidnap a soul they care about to force them to do my bidding.

//

A photo of an ornately carved tablet filled with Egyptian hieroglyphics was taped below Pegasus' ramblings.

"He really likes his kidnapping, doesn't he?" Yugi said, shaking his head. "Do you think we really need the Millennium items? Most of the other ones are buried in Egypt, so they might be a bit difficult to get to. And the ring…" Yugi scratched the back of his head contemplatively.

"I don't think so, I think their use was just to get the soul in question back on this plane. I'm already here, so we just need to complete the ritual. My powers and our puzzle should be sufficient." Atem responded, eyes fixated on the photograph.

"Ok, how should we go about doing this?"

"Well, utilizing this type of power may result in… consequences. As you saw when we were in ancient Egypt, invoking this sort of magic can lead to great destruction. I think we need to find some place far away from other people, or some sort of a bunker to do this ritual in."

"Well, luckily we know someone with an offshore facility that owes me a favour." Yugi said, trying to smile but falling a bit short.

"Who?" Atem asked curtly, clearly not in the mood to shoot the breeze.

"Kaiba. He owes me big time for the tutoring I gave his brother to boost his university entrance scores while he was out gallivanting in the name of Kaiba Corp." Yugi said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, I think its time we paid Kaiba a visit." Atem looked at Yugi, the usual excited twinkle in his eyes not there.

 _What's going on with him?_ Yugi wondered in concern. On the other end of the gaze, Atem was asking himself the exact same thing, as Yugi's amethyst eyes surveyed his own with a mixture of concern and suspicion. Both men let out a sigh simultaneously. Yugi pulled his phone out of his pocket.

Three rings, then a chipper voice picked up. "Kaiba Corp. VP Mokuba speaking."

"Oh hey Mokuba, it's Yugi."

"Yugi! Long time no talk! Have you reconsidered our job offer?"

 _Another one? You're a hot commodity, Yugi._ Atem teased, a flash of his old self shining through, causing Yugi to grin. Maybe Atem was ok after all, and this was all in his head.

Waving off his other self off, Yugi responded. "Not just yet, Mokuba. Hey, I was actually hoping to speak to Kaiba. Is he around?"

"He's still away on his research trip. You know him, he wants to be the all-time world champ, and ever since he was defeated by the Pharaoh so many times all those years back, he's never been quite the same. He works too hard." Mokuba said worriedly.

"Ok, maybe you can help me with my request. I need a bunker. And one of your new duel disks." Yugi added.

"What for? And did the new disk we sent you six months ago break already? You know it's got a warranty."

"I need another. Just trust me on this one. Can you help me?"

"I don't know…"

"Please. We'll owe you a favour."

"We?"

"Did I say we? I meant I. Old habits die hard, I guess." Yugi said rapidly. "So Mokuba?"

"… ok. It's a weird request, but I can swing it. Meet me at KC HQ ASAP. I will ready the 'copter." Click.

"See, I can be persuasive too." Yugi grinned up at Atem, trying to lighten the mood.

Yugi felt Atem relax a little at the good-natured jab. _Yes, you can, Yugi._ Still, there was a distinct absence of emotion coming from Atem's side of the link. A mental block was still up for some reason, which concerned Yugi.

 _Must you keep prodding at my mind?_ Atem asked slowly, face blank.

"Sorry, I just sense that something's off with you. I just wanted to know if you're alright." Yugi took a step towards Atem.

 _I have never been better_. Atem said, but his body language – crossed arms, slightly turned away – spoke tomes against that statement. _Are you ready to go? We can't leave Mokuba waiting._

Yugi's heart twisted in his chest. _What the hell is going on? We were fine. Now we're not. And Atem's now refusing to discuss anything, tossing up blockades left and right._

Sensing Yugi's line of thought and not wanting to address their feelings right now (specifically, the lack there of from Yugi), Atem quickly took over their body. Spinning on his heel, Atem strode towards the door.

* * *

It was a long bus ride to KC headquarters on multiple fronts. Yugi tried to change topics to see if it would make Atem loosen up, but Atem remained stubbornly quiet and introspective. Halfway through the trip, after one last plea from Yugi to discuss what was bothering him, Atem unceremoniously retreated into the puzzle, leaving Yugi alone with his body and his thoughts.

Yugi sighed aloud in frustration. "Ass." He muttering to himself. The more he tried to talk to Atem, the more he seemed to screw things up. The realization that he had developed feelings for Atem had started a descent into madness that he could never have expected. Atem was also being consumed by something himself. _But why? Maybe he's trying to distance himself for some reason?_ Yugi pondered.

Yugi hopped off the bus and stared at the KC building as it loomed before him.

 _Well, here we are._ Yugi reached out to Atem. No response.

Shaking his head, Yugi walked inside the foyer. Mokuba was standing there, in a crisp white suit over a black shirt and tie. Yugi didn't know what he was expecting, but the little brother of Seto Kaiba had really grown up in the time since he last saw him. Mokuba was now significantly taller than Yugi, and his once unruly hair was trimmed short and slicked back. The air about him had a distinct Kaiba flair.

"It's about time, Yugi." Mokuba walked over and gave Yugi a firm handshake.

"Good to see you too, Mokuba." Yugi said a little sheepishly.

"Follow me, we will talk in the 'copter."

On the way to the offshore Kaiba Corp facility, the two caught up. Mokuba was unabashedly trying to pry out Yugi's plans, while Yugi remained mum.

"I see you've got your puzzle." Mokuba gestured towards Yugi's chest, trying a different tactic to get Yugi to talk.

"Oh yeah, it felt like it was the right time to revisit… all of this." Yugi said, guardedly. He knew that if they were successful, Mokuba would find out about Atem, but he'd cross that bridge when they got to it. For now, the last thing he and Atem needed was to have the younger Kaiba to tell the older Kaiba while they were trying to perform the ritual. Seto's ego is insurmountable, and his insistence on dueling the Pharaoh would distract them from dealing with the mystery duelist. "I need some… closure."

Yugi felt Atem appear in the seat next to him. Yugi looked in his direction, nonchalantly raising an eyebrow. _Hello?_

_Hello._

Yugi bit back an immature jab about Atem's recent behaviour, instead choosing to quietly glare at the crimson eyed man. Surprisingly, Atem addressed his behaviour all on his own.

_I just wanted to apologize for my recent behaviour. It's just been a bit… jarring to be back, and I haven't handled it as well as I should have. I'm sorry for any conflict I've caused. I don't want my own struggles to drive us apart. You're important to me, and I haven't been behaving like that._

Yugi felt Atem's sincerity and the discomfort it caused Atem to admit to his mistake. Yugi couldn't help but chuckle. As wonderful as this man is, his pride is one of his weak spots.

_Apology accepted, partner. Hey listen, I'm sorry too for –_

"Yugi? What's so funny?"

Yugi jumped a bit in his seat. "Oh, just thinking about a TV show I watched last night. Kids were catching monsters in little interdimensional capsules that could easily fit into your pocket and using them to duel. Pretty weird premise, huh?" Yugi blurted.

"Yeah, I guess that is a strange premise. I guess they'd be called pocket monsters, kinda like that capsule monsters game…"

A soft thud signalled the end of their ride. The helicopter had landed on a small island, no larger than a city block. In the middle of the grass covered plateau was an iron door, flush with the ground.

"Here we are!" Mokuba stated triumphantly.

Mokuba nimbly leaped out of the helicopter door, Yugi following suit. Mokuba punched in a set of numbers into the keypad, held his eye up to the glass and a soft click resounded. The two men hauled open the dense security door, exposing a dark stairway leading into the ground. This process repeated itself twice more, with Mokuba unlocking several other doors in several manners until the two men reached their destination.

The expansive underground room had a certain clinical atmosphere. The walls were painted eggshell white and the concrete floors were bare. The walls were lined with shelves, supporting old, beat up metal boxes. A door that resembled a bank vault's could be seen at the end of the room.

"Does this work for you?" Mokuba called out as Yugi walked over to a cart.

"This is perfect, thanks Mokuba!"

"You still haven't told me what you need it for!"

"Just a little experiment with the puzzle, that's all."

"What does that mean?"

Yugi quietly positioned the cart it in the center of the room and laid the journal out in front of him.

 _Can I take this from here?_ Atem appeared next to Yugi.

"Be careful, partner." Yugi responded quietly, a note of uncertainty colouring his voice.

_Trust me. Go in the puzzle, you'll be safe there._

"Yugi, what did you say…?" Mokuba started, but his line of questioning was interrupted by a brief flash of light. "Uh… what's going on?"

Atem ignored Mokuba, and deftly opened Pegasus' journal to the photograph of the ancient Egyptian ritual that was supposed to bestow a wandering soul with a body.

Atem took a deep breath to steady himself. _Ra, this had better work…_ Then started to read the ancient inscription aloud. The lights started to flicker and a whirlwind kicked up in the bunker.

"Yugi, what's going on?!" Mokuba clambered back towards the doorway.

Atem continued to read aloud, feeling a strange power course through his body. That power increased, burning as it passed through his veins, and soon Atem felt like he was being burned alive. He didn't stop reciting the ancient ritual. He couldn't stop. Atem gripped the table for dear life, his knuckles turning white. Nearing the end of the inscription, Atem all but screamed the last few words as he felt the skin rip from their body. Searing hot pain erupted from every synapse as a bright white light flooded the room. Two cries sounded. Then two thuds echoed through the bunker as two bodies hit the floor.

 _Oh Ra, my head._ Yugi groaned. He sluggishly opened one eye, surveying the damage. Yugi gingerly rose to his feet, and hoarsely called out to his other self. "A-Atem? Atem?"

On the other side of the room laid a body, limbs splayed haphazardly as if it were a rag doll thrown recklessly aside by a wanton child. The body stirred.

"Atem… Atem…" Yugi croaked, slowly made his way over.

The body got on its hands and knees and started to cough feebly. Yugi neared closer.

"Is that you?"

"… Yugi?"

Atem was unsteadily getting to his feet now, facing away from Yugi. His tanned skin almost iridescent in the fluorescent lighting. The man's tricouloured hair was in organized chaos. Yugi's eyes roamed over Atem's toned back and down…

Yugi made a choking sound. "A-Atem! Uh, here, you had better put this on." Yugi stammered, starting to shed his jacket as Atem turned around, giving Yugi an inadvertent show.

"Hmm?" Atem responded, his ruby-toned eyes perplexed.

Yugi's face flushed at the sight of the once Pharaoh's naked body. _Damn, I'm in trouble._ Yugi gulped, feeling his blood start to flow to areas other than his face. Yugi coughed several times loudly, averting his gaze and offering up his coat.

"You're, uh, naked."

"Oh! I guess I am." Atem smirked, "Thank you. Are you alright? You seem to be coughing a lot."

"Just inhaled a bit of dust from the ritual, that's all." Yugi said quickly, punctuating the end of the sentence with a couple coughs for good measure.

"What happened Yugi?" Mokuba called out, re-entering the room. "The wind kicked up, the lights were flashing, I though this whole place was going to…" Mokuba stopped dead in his tracks, eyes widening as he took in the two men, similar in appearance but clearly different.

"Is that the Pharaoh?!" Mokuba blanched, looking as if he just saw a ghost.

Atem, holding Yugi's jacket up against his lower half, smirked at the younger Kaiba. "Nice to see you too, Mokuba. If you don't mind, could you grab me something to wear? This jacket's a bit too… small to cover everything up." Yugi involuntarily stiffened. _You can say that again,_ his mind briefly going elsewhere.

Atem turned to look at Yugi, and Yugi relaxed upon meeting his partner's gaze. Yugi reached out cautiously, placing a hand on Atem's shoulder. His hand did not go through. Yugi could feel Atem's warm skin beneath his palm, the slight flutter of Atem's deltoid as the other man raised his own hand to put it on Yugi's shoulder. Yugi started to laugh in amazement, Atem following suit. Soon the two were doubled over in hysterics, releasing all of the tension they both had been holding onto. Their recent arguments seemed trivial in light of what they just accomplished. After a few minutes, the two collected their items, and after draping an arm over each other's shoulder, they walked out of the bunker together into the evening air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I know this isn't my finest work, please leave a comment if you've got a sec! Good, bad or otherwise, I'd like to know your thoughts!
> 
> Just don't question the need for a bunker. No one wants to destroy a city block with errant Egyptian magic. Except maybe the mystery duelist. And sooonnnn, that plot point will be addressed. I haven't forgot. I think it's worth the wait, but hey, what do I know? You'll have to see for yourself!


	5. Proximity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Alright, now that we've got that whole body business out of the way, we will start to get into the good stuff. This chapter was an absolute blast to write, and I hope you enjoy!

The helicopter ride back to the mainland was one of the longest 20 minutes of Atem's life. That's saying something, given that he had spent thousands of years locked away in a magical Egyptian artifact. Atem, now clad in a pair of Kaiba Corp. sweatpants and Yugi's slightly-too-small jacket over his bare chest, was sitting uncomfortably across from Mokuba while the younger Kaiba peppered him with questions relentlessly.

"So… let me see if I got this straight. You came back because Yugi nearly died, his soul called out to yours and you used your ancient Pharaoh magic to put yourself back into the Millennium Puzzle?"

"Yes."

"And you need a body 'cause the person who beat Yugi up is threatening to destroy Domino City?"

"Yes."

"So Pegasus helped you get your body back? How did he do that again?"

An exasperated sigh escaped Atem's lips. This was the third time in five minutes Mokuba had cycled back to this line of questioning. It was getting old.

Atem was beyond exhausted. It took a lot of energy to channel enough power to re-create your own body. _But Ra above, it feels good,_ Atem thought as he stretched lightly. He glanced over at his _Aibou_ who had nodded off in his seat, his head resting against the window. Yugi looked so serene. The worry lines that he had noticed Yugi sporting ever since he came back had eased in slumber. However, Atem couldn't feel the usual calm that came with sleep from Yugi's end of the link. In fact, ever since the ritual, Atem had not felt anything come through the link. He quietly feared it was gone for good now that they both inhabited separate bodies.

 _It's for the best, I suppose._ Atem pondered. He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, as that link provided him with a sense of comfort, a constant connection he could ground himself with.

Atem tentatively reached out with his mind to Yugi's, in the slim chance something remained of the link. Hefelt something brush against his consciousness. Closing his eyes, he redoubled his efforts, reaching out to the sleeping man beside him with his mind. Atem felt something give way, and he felt the familiar link re-establish. He sensed Yugi was dreaming. He swore not to pry, but he spent a moment savouring the warm, calming energy from Yugi's side.

"Must you keep prodding at my mind?" Yugi said, opening one eye, echoing an earlier statement uttered by Atem.

"You felt me!" Atem could not help but grin.

Yugi smiled at him briefly, then settled back down to return to his nap.

"What was that about? Prodding his mind? Are you a mind reader? How can you read his mind? Is it because you guys are really the same person? If not, then why do you look so similar?" The questions continued to pour out of Mokuba at a dizzying pace. Atem held a hand up.

"Mokuba, thank you for all you've done to help, but honestly, I am tired and cannot handle another question today. Can we discuss this later?" Atem said wearily.

"OK, I will grab Seto and we can all have a chat tomorrow!"

Atem felt a jolt go through him. The arrival of his perennial rival back into his life was not something he needed right now. He didn't need Seto distracting them from the mystery duelist right now, and even if Seto offered to help, his ego would surely serve to further rile up already megalomaniacal mystery duelist.

"I promise that once we save the city, we will sit down with you and your brother and answer your questions. But for the sake of the city, and frankly my sanity, could you please refrain from telling your brother I'm back for at least the next few days?"

Mokuba looked torn, but ultimately nodded in agreement. Atem muttered his thanks and slumped down in his chair. Yugi had the right idea, a nap would be wonderful right now. Atem drifted off to sleep, but not without one last brush of his mind against Yugi's just to make sure he was still alright.

* * *

By the time Yugi and Atem had made it back to the game shop, it was nearly 10 pm. During their trip back, the two had fallen back into a familiar rhythm. They discussed their mental link (which now only seemed to open when one of them tried to reach out to the other while in close proximity), the newest duel disk and the most recent happenings of the brothers Kaiba.

"I can't believe it, he'd really done it. I swear there's nothing Kaiba can't do with his resources…" Yugi remarked animatedly, while Atem listened intently. Yugi unlocked the door to the private residence at the back of the game shop, motioning for Atem to proceed first with a sweep of his arm.

"And then you will not believe what happened next!" Yugi went on as they walked up the stairs.

"Yugi! You've been gone all day! Oh, hey Pharaoh!" Tea greeted, seeing Atem walk up the stairs. Then her eyes went wide as Yugi's head popped into view.

Tea and Solomon, who were sitting on the couch watching a movie, rubbernecked towards the two men, their eyes the size of saucers.

"There's… there's..." Tea stuttered.

"Hello everyone." Atem smirked.

Solomon sprung up, grabbing Atem's hand in his, shaking vigorously. "You've got your body back! Great show, Pharaoh! How'd you do it?!"

"All in due time. It's quite the story." Atem said with a smile, "And also, please, no need to call me Pharaoh. Call me Atem. Or if you prefer, some people do call me Yami."

The two tricoloured haired young men filled in Tea and Solomon. There was plenty of enthusiastic gesticulation from Yugi, with Atem having to duck occasionally to avoid getting smacked. Tea couldn't help but remark that this was the first time she'd actually seen these two have a casual conversation face-to-face in real life. Sure, she'd seen them duel each other, but seeing them in a relaxed environment highlighted some of their differences. They seem so similar, yet so different. Their bond seemed like no other she'd ever seen, and they both looked so pleased to finally be physically face-to-face with each other.

After an hour or so of lively conversation, Solomon excused himself to retire to his room for the night. Yugi sprawled out on the couch while he listened to Atem, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, enthusiastically explaining the intricacies of ancient Egyptian life to an enthralled Tea.

"So you see, that's why pictographs and carved tablets were so popular back then."

"I'm sure you're getting a kick out of this, Yugi, with you studying archeology and all…" Tea said, peering over at Yugi. Yugi had fallen asleep on the couch in the interval, curled up on his side.

"Well would you look at the time. I should be getting to bed." Tea yawned, getting up and collecting their dishes. Atem nodded, bringing over the remainder and putting them in the dishwasher. Tea watched him out of the side of her eye, amused at the sight of the once Pharaoh do everyday chores.

Meanwhile, Atem couldn't help but steal a glance at Yugi. His _Hikari_ looked so peaceful, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. After he had finished up in the kitchen, he grabbed a blanket out of the closet and carefully placed it over Yugi, brushing one of Yugi's bangs off his face gently before making his leave.

"Goodnight, Tea." Atem said as he moved away from the couch. His crimson eyes met hers briefly before he walked over towards the guest room.

"Goodnight, Atem." Tea responded. She was mildly surprised seeing Atem so tenderly attend to her sleeping boyfriend. _They are so close. And who wouldn't be if you shared a body with someone for years? I guess that's why they treat each other the way they do. The way Yugi looks at Atem. The way he takes care of Yugi… no, no. What am I thinking? I have nothing to worry about there. They are just close. Yugi loves me. He has said this so many times. What has gotten into me?_ Tea laughed at the absurd thought. After one last look at Yugi, Tea turned off the light and went to bed.

* * *

The next day, Yugi filled in the rest of the gang on the recent happenings. After a few hours of various friends stopping by the game shop and ogling the newly corporeal Atem (Joey took it a step further by poking Atem in the cheek to make sure he wasn't an elaborate hologram), Yugi grabbed Atem by the arm and announced they had business to attend to.

First off, the clothes Yugi had leant Atem were not quite working (even the largest sweater Yugi owned was a bit short on the taller man). The two men hit up the mall for a quick wardrobe restocking. Atem was naturally drawn to the leather goods.

"Just so long as you don't wear the leather coat and pants at the same time, you'll be fine." Yugi said, shaking his head at Atem's fashion choices.

They ended up picking out a couple sets of clothes. Now clad in a grey v-neck t-shirt, maroon jacket, black leather boots and his new black leather pants ("They make me feel… powerful." Atem had purred), Atem announced that he was done and that they should start prepping their decks for the upcoming duel.

* * *

It was now the sixth day since Yugi's initial confrontation with the mystery duelist, which meant the ultimatum was up tomorrow. Now back in Yugi's room, Yugi and Atem started the long and intricate task of building their decks.

"Here Atem, I want you to have this." Yugi walked over to the patch of floor where Atem had chaotically strewn about cards. He held out their deck, in its entirety.

"Yugi, I can't. That's your deck."

"Our deck." Yugi corrected. "And its not an offer, it's a request. This is just as much your deck as it is mine, and I know it's got the cards you need."

Atem stared up at Yugi _. Ra, he is so selfless. I do not deserve someone so pure in my life._ When he did things like this, it made Atem wish Yugi reciprocated his feelings. A small pang of hurt sounded in Atem's heart, but he pushed it aside. He had more pressing things to deal with than his foolish, broken heart.

Yugi wagged the deck in front of Atem's face. "Come on, partner. Take it."

Atem reached out and took the deck.

"Thank you, Yugi" Atem said softly, fanning it out, a smile tugging at his lips upon seeing his old friends. "Now, we need to make you a deck."

"I'm one step ahead of you." Yugi went over to the desk and pulled out a miniature gold sarcophagus from the top drawer. Grabbing the deck inside and fanning it out so Atem could see, Atem quickly realized that this was the deck Yugi used during the ceremonial duel. Memories of their painful goodbye rushed by upon seeing those cards. Atem's eyes met Yugi's, and he opened the link. Both sides were feeling a similar pain as the memories flooded back.

"Yugi…"

"I'd like to use this deck, Atem. But only if you help me improve it." A determined smile bloomed on Yugi's face.

"Of course, my _Hikari_. It would be my pleasure. Although, it was a very well constructed deck in the first place…"

"Yes, but I know you must have some ideas on how to improve it!"

Over the next hour, they worked on the silent swordsman deck. Atem and Yugi were kneeling side-by-side looking out at the cards on the floor. The deck was nearly complete. Atem, upon finding what he needed in the spare pile, leaned over Yugi to replace two cards.

"There, I think this will help you out greatly." Atem muttered. Turning to look at Yugi, Atem was suddenly aware of how close their faces were. Yugi smelled so good, like sandalwood and fresh linen. He found himself getting lost in Yugi's amethyst eyes… unconsciously, he leaned a little closer to Yugi.

Yugi was also taken by surprise by Atem's proximity, who was still reaching across him, one hand on the floor to steadying himself. Atem's warm breath on his neck were driving him crazy. As were those leather pants. Looking into those crimson eyes, his heart hammering… he leaned in a bit closer.

/M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-mad mad mad. M-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-mad mad mad/

"Hey Yuges! You in there?"

The two selves snapped apart, as if an electric shock had coursed through their bodies. Yugi coughed. Atem let out a sigh which sounded an awful lot like a growl.

"In here, Joey!" Yugi called.

"Oh hey you two! Getting da decks ready I see!" Joey remarked jovially as he peered through the doorway, clearly unaware of what had just been transpiring.

"Hey, I was just stopping by to drop dis package off for your grandpa, and I found dis letter under your front door."

The letter was in an unmarked envelope, a thick blue wax seal on the back. Yugi opened the letter, while Atem and joey leaned in closer to read it.

/

The time has come. If you know what's best, little Yugi, you will get the Pharaoh to meet me tomorrow at 9 pm at the same place where we duelled last time. Fail to show up, and the city will burn.

VBK

/

They sat briefly in silence. Then, Joey put a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Well, now that da dynamic duo are back in business, dealing with dis guy should be a piece of cake!"

"We don't know very much about this duellist, Joey…" Atem began.

"… but we do know he's more than capable of violence." Yugi shuddered. "This is not going to be easy."

Their trepidation did not hamper Joey's spirits. "Well, we've faced worse in da past. And guess what… I will be dere, fighting right beside you two like old times!" Joey pumped his fist in the air triumphantly.

"Joey…" Yugi started.

"We can't let you put yourself in harm's way." Atem finished.

"How many times have we been over this, you two numbskulls. Dere's nothing we can't accomplish if we combine our strengths and work together. I will be dere, dragging Tristan and Tea behind me whether you like it or not. Dat's final."

Yugi opened the link. _He's like a puppy with a bone. We might as well let him come along. Or else, who knows how he will try to insert himself into the situation._

Atem chuckled over the link. _Very well. You've got to admire his tenacity. He's just as determined and driven as ever._

_That's our Joey._

"What are you guys doing? Are you… reading each other's mind?" Joey said, mildly alarmed at the silent staring occurring between Atem and Yugi.

"Just a little side effect of ancient Egyptian magic and occupying the same body for so long, I suppose." Yugi said with a shrug.

"C-can you read my mind?"

Atem turned his gaze towards Joey, holding it for several seconds. "Hmm, yes. I agree. It would be 'creepy' if I could read your mind." Atem said darkly.

Joey clambered to his feet, his fists at the ready. "You DIDN'T!". Yugi burst out laughing and Atem winked mischievously. Catching onto the joke, Joey exclaimed "Really not cool, guys! You really had me going! You were bang on, too!"

"Just a shot in the dark, I suppose." Atem confessed with a shrug.

"Ok, I'm outta here. Meet you guys here tomorrow evening before da grand showdown?"

"Sounds great, Joey." Yugi said with a grin. "You might as well bring your deck."

"Oh you know it!"

* * *

It was just Yugi, Atem and Tea there for dinner at the Muto residence that night. Yugi had become quiet sometime during the dinner preparations, and remained silent during dinner. He pushed his food around his plate, seemingly lost in thought. His demeanor was not lost on Tea and Atem, who tried their best to involve him in the dinnertime conversation. Even a spirited conversation about the newly released duel monster box could not perk Yugi up. After the verbal prodding did not work, Atem resorted to using the link.

 _Are you feeling alright? You've been oddly quiet ever since Tea came home._ Atem inquired.

Yugi immediately severed the link, surprising Atem. Although he tried to not take it too personally, Atem couldn't help but feel a bit slighted by Yugi's abrupt lockout. Atem took a deep, calming breath and returned to his conversation with Tea about her dance studio.

"You know, you could always take a lesson from my school if you wanted to! I have a feeling you have some natural rhythm and I bet you'd look good on the dance floor!" Tea offered enthusiastically.

Atem flushed slightly at the compliment. "Well, I guess I could use some lessons. I was forced to learn a bit on the fly during some awkward high school dances because this one – " Atem gestured with his thumb towards Yugi "— was always too shy to dance in front of girls."

"So that was actually _you_ at that high school dance! I wondered where Yugi had gotten all of that confidence all of a sudden!" Tea said incredulously, the pieces of an old memory falling back into place. She blushed slightly. "I knew it! Your moves had all of the girls talking for a week afterwards."

Atem let out a rare, full-bodied laugh. "We helped each other out a lot in those days. There are many other stories where that came from."

Yugi suddenly opened the link. _Hey Atem._

Relieved that Yugi had stopped shutting him out, Atem looked up from his food to look at Yugi. However, the relief quickly vanished when Atem saw that Yugi's usually kind eyes were cold.

_Yes Yugi?_

_I need an evening alone with Tea. Maybe you could hang out with Joey or Tristan?_

Atem did nothing to hide his confusion at the sudden temperature drop he felt across the link. Atem sat quietly, waiting for Yugi to speak his piece. When Yugi did not elaborate, Atem put the pieces together himself.

_Of course, Yugi. You two have not had much time to yourselves since this whole predicament started. I will make myself scarce tonight. Enjoy your alone time._

Atem severed the link before his control of his emotions failed him. _Makes sense. He loves Tea, and I've been occupying a lot of his time ever since I came back. He's been through so much, I'm sure he just wants some parts of his life to return to normal. And of course, he will never be able to reciprocate the way I feel. I've just got to move on now. Put it in the past. It's what he clearly wants. It's better for the both of us. And this starts tonight._ Atem thought, his heart constricting as he grappled again with the harsh reality that came with unrequited love.

"Atem? I asked if you had ever tried partner dancing? You've got the confidence to really pull off ballroom!"

"I haven't yet. Maybe someday." Atem said, trying to keep his voice neutral as he abruptly stood up. "I was thinking, I'm sure it would be nice for you two to have some time to yourselves this evening. I think I'm going to go over to Joey's place for a while." Atem excused himself, cleared his dishes from the table and went to grab his coat.

"Atem! Wait, what are you doing? There's no need to go quite yet!" Tea stood up, visibly confused about the abrupt change in atmosphere. Once second they were having a blast and the next Atem was running away from the table as if it were on fire.

Atem painted the most reassuring smile he could on his face as he turned around to walk back towards Tea. "I've got to leave, Tea. And about those dance lessons, I will take you up on that offer sometime soon. It sounds like great fun!" Atem punctuated that last line by placing a hand on Tea's shoulder, causing her to blush slightly at his touch. "I hope you two have fun tonight." Atem quickly pulled her in for a hug, mildly surprising Tea.

"I think something's going on with Yugi, and I think he needs your help. Please help him." Atem whispered into her ear while they embraced. He pulled away. Atem swiftly grabbed his coat, leaving a stunned Tea and a minimally responsive Yugi back at the table without a second look. The bitterly cool evening air provided a welcome distraction from the mess of thoughts that were running through Atem's mind. As he started his walk over to Joey's place, Atem once again thought about his head first dive into madness.

 _I thought we shared a moment today while we were building his deck. But clearly my own feelings were clouding my perception._ Atem let out an audible sigh, trying to release all of the tension, anger and hurt he was experiencing into that one puff of air.

_Maybe I should take a page out of Yugi's book and grab a hold of something good. And I think having a relaxing night with an old friend is a great place to start._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh baby, emotions are running high, and the waters are getting a bit muddy now. Tune in next time, 'cause if you thought this was a bit of an emotional chapter, the next is even more so…


	6. Neutron Star Collision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: READ ME FIRST! If you've ever played the TCG or watched DSOD (I sure hope you have seen DSOD, you've been reading this post-DSOD fic for a few chapters now…) you have been introduced to the blue eyes alternative white dragon. It's basically the same as the original BEWD, just with a few added bonuses. This chapter has a blue eyes alternative white dragon.
> 
> There are two versions of Neutron Star Collision, one of which would have forced me to make this fic rated M instead of T. I debated just shifting this whole fic to the 'mature' world, but I have since chickened out *shrugs* and have created a modified version of this chapter. The one posted here is the T version. Now, there's no change to the plot and it still packs a punch like a BEWD does, but it's just missing a few details.
> 
> If you want to see this chapter in its full, M rated entirety, the blue eyes alternative white dragon is this way on my Wattpad: Wattpad dot com /user /bewdofchaos
> 
> (replace the dot and remove the spaces, you know the drill)
> 
> If not, please enjoy this version of what is possibly my favourite chapter in this fic. In the words of one of my favourite asshole anti-hero Seto Kaiba: Blue eyes, white lightning attack!

Joey snapped back to reality when he heard a loud knock on his door. Throwing the video game controller he was gripping on the cushion beside him, Joey got up from the couch and answered the door.

"Oh hey Atem! Come on in!" Joey grinned, propping open the door so Atem could pass.

Atem thanked him and walked inside. It was a nicely furnished apartment, clearly decorated by Joey's better half. Joey motioned for Atem to hand him his coat and Atem obliged.

"Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! What brings you into dis neck of da woods?"

"Sorry for stopping by unannounced. Yugi wanted some time alone with Tea, so I thought I check in and see what you're doing tonight. I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Atem said, an uncharacteristic sheepish tone in his voice.

"Not at all, buddy! I was just playing some video games. Mai's out for a girl's night, so I thought I'd dig up da ol' N64 and some classic games and make a night of it. Can I get you anything?" Joey picked up his half-finished beer, wagging it in Atem's direction.

Atem briefly flashed back to the last time he'd had alcohol. Yugi had been begrudgingly dragged out to one of Duke Devlin's famous house parties. Although the attendees were underage, it was commonplace for the booze to flow freely at a Duke party. Needless to say, drunk Yugi was a hilarious sight to behold. The usually quiet and calm adolescent became loud and boisterous. He'd also flirt with everybody.

"I could use a drink."

Plopping down on the couch, the two men clinked bottles and took a swig.

"What are you playing?" Atem said, nodding towards the TV.

"Mario Kart 64. It's a racing game. Have you played it before?"

"No, I have not."

"Oh are you ever in for a treat!" Joey exclaimed, getting off the couch to fish another controller out of a box in the corner. "I will teach you da ropes."

Over the next 30 minutes, they finished their beers and Atem had gone on to beat Joey five times in a row.

"You've never played this game before, my ass." Joey muttered, shooting Atem a look.

Atem shrugged as he walked back from the fridge, two fresh beers in hand. "I'm a quick study."

"Ok, well you've now graduated to a new game: Golden Eye 64."

Over the next several hours and several beers, Joey threw various video games Atem's way, and Atem made quick work of Joey after a few minutes learning the controls. Even switching up the console did not seem to throw Atem off his game

"How are you so good at dis?!" Joey hurled his gamecube controller in mock disgust as Atem just took his last stock on Super Smash Bros Melee. Atem laughed loudly.

"You do know they call me the King of Games, right?" Atem taunted, waving his controller at Joey mockingly.

"Yeah in Duel Monsters not Super Smash Bros!"

"Comme ci comme ca."

"Dat makes no sense and you know it." Joey laughed,

"How bad you are at these games makes no sense." Atem shot back, snickering.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it!" Joey took a swing playfully at Atem, Atem ducking at the last moment, his reflexes slower than usual.

"You come over to my house unannounced, drink all of my beer and beat me at my own games. Some friend you are!" Joey laughed loudly again, Atem following suit.

"All kidding aside," Atem said, still chuckling, "Thanks, I really needed this."

"Any time, friend."

A brief moment of silence. Then Joey spoke, sounding a little more sober.

"Are you alright? You seemed to be in a… state when you got here."

Generally, Atem would have easily deflected this line of questioning. Even though Joey was one of his closest friends, Atem still felt that his own emotional issues were his own burden to bear. However, as a result of the beers, Atem was feeling rather disinhibited.

"Honestly, no."

A beat. "What's up?" Joey asked softly. "If you want to talk about it, dat is. You know I'm good to not go blabbing around, right?"

"I don't even know where to start, Joey." Atem finished his beer, placing the bottle back on the coffee table.

Another beat. "Is dis… about Yugi?"

Atem snapped his head around to look incredulously at Joey. _How… is it really that obvious?_ "What?"

"Well, you two are close." Joey began.

Atem sat silently for a moment, then answered. "Yes."

"And you've been through a lot."

"Yes."

"And I see da way you look at him... Like he's your world."

Atem's eyes diverted down to his hands. The feelings he had been masking all evening with games and drinks came rushing back to him all at once. The indescribable feeling when he found himself face-to face again with Yugi when Yugi's soul pulled his from the afterlife. How his heart swelled as Yugi cried into his shoulder. The explosive anger and protectiveness he felt as Yugi told him about how he'd ended up on the edge between life and death. How comfortable and warm he felt when they shared a body again that first day. The hope he felt when he showed Yugi his memory room. The frustration, hurt, confusion and heartache he felt when he realized Yugi did not share his feelings. The anger he had felt come in waves ever since. Anger that he even allowed himself to hope that Yugi could or even would love him like that. _How could I be so naïve? And why does this still hurt so much?_

Tears started welling up in Atem's eyes. Joey pulled his friend in for a hug.

"Why am I so weak, Joey?" Atem mumbled into his shirt, his voice uncharacteristically small.

Joey broke the embrace, instead choosing to hold both of Atem's shoulders so he could meet the Pharaoh eye to eye. "You are da strongest guy I know. You are not weak."

"Then why do I care about what he thinks and how he feels? All it does is bring me pain. Why am I like this?"

"… you're in love with him, aren't you?" Joey asked softly.

"I am." Atem confessed bitterly. "and I wish I wasn't. He clearly doesn't see me that way."

"How do you know? Did he tell you?"

Atem recalled aloud the events that occurred in his favourite memory room. How Yugi turned away and threw up his own blockades.

"But did you have an actual conversation? Did he actually say he wasn't interested? Dat he didn't love you?" Joey inquired skeptically.

"He didn't need to. His reaction was enough." Atem said tersely.

"I don't know about dis, Atem. I honestly don't think that your 'evidence' is all dat conclusive."

Atem sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I honestly do not want to revisit this. I just want to move on and forget it ever happened."

Joey sat back, slipping into his own thoughts for a few minutes. Finally he spoke. "Now that I think about it more, I'd be surprised if Yugi didn't have feelings for you as well."

This got Atem's attention. Atem looked up at Joey in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Da way he talks about you. Da way he looks at you. Ever since you got back, he hasn't shut up. It's all 'Atem this, Atem that'. And before dis, when you were, er, gone, Yugi took it rough. I mean, really rough. When we'd get on the topic of our past adventures, he'd usually seem kinda… sad. Sometimes, I'd catch him staring at your deck. You know he's carried it around with him all these years?"

Atem leaned back into the couch, silent. He started remembering the times he'd interacted with Yugi. How his amethyst eyes would sparkle when he looked at him. How he'd occasionally go pink and get flustered when they'd talk. The warmth he'd feel radiating from Yugi's side of the link. And that look Yugi had on his face just that afternoon when Atem found himself inadvertently across Yugi's lap...

"… but, he was so… cold this evening when he told me he wanted time with Tea."

"I can't explain that, Atem. But even you haveta admit, I don't think dis is all as cut and dry as you seem to think it is."

 _Could I have really misinterpreted all of this? Is there still a chance?_ Atem thought.

"I think you know what you need to do. You and Yugi need to sit down and talk. Really talk. Both sides need to be heard before you write this off." Joey said, a small smile on his lips.

Crimson eyes met Joey's, a glimmer of hope shining in them for the first time in days. "I think you're right."

"Buuutttt, maybe don't do dis all tonight. You showing up drunk on Yugi's doorstep may not help your cause."

"I'm not drunk." Atem blinked slowly.

"Suurreeee…" Joey hiccupped.

Atem sat back with a sigh, covering his eyes with a hand. "Hmph, maybe I am."

"Hey man, its late and I'm beat. Da guest room free. You're welcome to stay up and play some more games, but how about you crash here tonight? I don't want you getting jumped by some mean customer on your way home in your current… state." Joey chuckled.

Atem was tired and slightly dizzy. He was not looking forward to his long walk back in the pitch black night.

"You've got a point. Thank you, Joey." Atem flashed him a smile.

"Good night, sweet dreams. Maybe of a special someone?" Joey waggled his eyebrows and winked. Atem mimed throwing his controller at Joey in mock retaliation.

"You know, I was once a king. I commanded respect. Now I get treated like this?" He said with an exaggerated shake of his head.

Joey laughed. "Good night, buddy."

"Good night, friend."

* * *

Several hours later, a car pulled up to park outside of Joey and Mai's place. A man quietly walked up the front steps, and dug around in his pocket for a key.

Turning it in the lock, the man entered the house and turned on the entrance light. Upon seeing the living room was uninhabited, the man quietly walked up the stairs towards the bedrooms. He passed by the room where Joey slept, snoring loudly enough to wake the dead. He walked to the end of the hallway, stopping in front of the guest room door. Carefully, he nudged it open.

The room was bathed in moonlight. A double bed with a single occupant was positioned in the corner of the room next to a desk with a lamp and a clock. Yugi stopped in the doorway, surveying the sleeping figure. Atem was peacefully asleep, one arm hanging off the edge of the bed, his chest rhythmically rising and falling. Yugi took pause, remarking to himself how he had never actually seen Atem asleep. He'd usually retreat to the puzzle at night to do whatever spirits did when their corporeal host slept. The usual furrows in Atem's brow had completely eased in sleep, making his face appear years younger. Yugi hesitated, his will faltering at the rare sight. He had to see this through, though.

"Atem?" Yugi whispered. No response.

"Atem?" Yugi repeated, a little louder, causing the sleeping figure to stir and groan.

Atem raised his head a few inches off the pillow, staring groggily towards the doorway in disbelief. "Yugi? Is that you?"

Atem fumbled for the lamp switch. While slowly getting up to sit on the edge of the bed and rubbing his eyes, Atem furthered his line of questioning. "What are you doing here? It's four in the morning."

Yugi quietly walked over and perched himself hesitantly on the edge of the bed a few feet away from Atem. He sat quietly staring at his hands. The song that had been on his mind all week reaching its crescendo.

/And now I have finally seen the end. And I'm not expecting you to care/

"Are you alright? Yugi… what's going on?" Atem said, concern colouring his voice.

"I needed to talk to you."

"Could this have not waited…"

"I broke up with Tea."

Silence. "… I'm so sorry, Yugi."

"You misinterpret me." Yugi's eyes finally met Atem's, unwavering. " _I_ decided to end things."

Atem's head was swimming. The alcohol had left his system a few hours back, but his confusion had not. "Why? You two are so good together." Atem protested.

/But I have finally seen the light/

"We were, but I realized something."

Any residual grogginess Atem felt vanished. Something about Yugi's words made his heart start hammering. A thousand words ran through his mind, his thoughts a chaotic whirlpool. He opened his mouth to speak, but Yugi held up a hand to stop him. Yugi took a shaky breath.

"Hear me out please. You see, for the last seven years, I have been struggling with a… void. During our years together, you became… a part of me. Not just in that we shared a body, but we were an ineffable force that could move mountains. You gave me the confidence and support I needed to break out of my shell, to transform from the shy kid I once was into the man I am today. You meant the world to me, but I didn't realize just how deep that sentiment went… until you left."

Atem felt Yugi suddenly open up their mind link, his consciousness was buffeted by a blast of indecipherable, raw emotion from Yugi.

On the other side of the link, Yugi though his heart was going to burst out of his chest. Vulnerable and wearing his heart on his sleeve, Yugi took a deep breath and continued on.

"The years that followed were rough. There was this deafening silence in my head. I often felt alone, even when surrounded by my friends. I'd instinctively reach out to talk to you, only to find nothing. Honestly, the day before I duelled this mystery duelist, I was once again… grappling with the void."

Waves of pain rolled off Yugi, threatening to drown Atem.

Atem couldn't stay silent any longer. "I am so sorry, _Aibou_. I never personally wanted to leave you. It needed to happen. I never wanted you to hurt like this."

"I know, Atem. I don't blame you. I just want to get this off my chest." Yugi answered. "Now you're back and I honestly feel... whole again."

"Yugi…"

/I have finally realized/

Yugi tensed up, his breathing somewhat ragged. His eyes shone despite the dimly lit room. "That void… why I'm like this… I don't know how to say this, Atem. I really don't." Waves of raw emotion poured off Yugi, but this time, they were more recognizable.

"Yugi…"

"I… I…"

/I need to love/

In a blink, Yugi closed the gap, his lips fervidly on Atem's. The link erupted. After a startled moment, Atem responded in kind and deepened the kiss. Atem knotted his hand in Yugi's hair, kissing back with every fiber of his being. Hands started to explore skin, as their heads swam.

Yugi's hands traced up Atem's toned back, pulling Atem's t-shirt with them. They stayed this way, lips not leaving the others until they both were out of breath. They stared briefly into each others' eyes, a familiar warmth spreading from both sides of the link. A warmth they both now understood.

Cheeks flushed and panting, Yugi finally finished his thought. "I'm in love with you."

Atem's breath caught at the words he never thought he'd hear Yugi say. His head swimming in the most blissful way possible, Atem leaned in, kissing Yugi tenderly. "I love you too… my _Hikari_." Atem responded in between kisses.

* * *

Light had been streaming into the guest room for a few hours by the time Yugi stirred.

 _Where am I? Whose arm is this… oh._ Yugi thought to himself, a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Lying against his back was a familiar presence, one toned arm draped across his chest in an almost protective embrace. Yugi closed his eyes again, moving himself in closer to Atem, revelling in the moment. This was honestly the best case scenario Yugi could have thought of when he had made up his mind to go find Atem in the early hours of the morning.

Last night, while making dinner, Yugi was taking stock of his current life situation. He watched Tea flit around the kitchen assembling dinner, while teasingly joking that Atem was cutting up the vegetables like a brute. Atem was quick to fire back a good-natured quip about how his chopping skills clearly outranked Tea's ability to cook rice. Watching the two people he was closest with interact reminded Yugi of the harsh reality he had been trying to avoid ever since Atem came back.

Now Yugi's feelings were not cut and dry. And the crux of the matter was that he loved both of them. Tea had been with him, sometimes a phone call away while she was in New York and for the last few years by his side, ever since Atem left and he loved her dearly for it…

_… But Atem. The feelings I have for him are similar, yet so different. They are unlike any I have had before. But I'm in love with Tea, right? Or is it really that kind of love I feel for her?_

Lost in thought, he vaguely registered Tea dragging him off to the dinner table to eat with her and Atem. Yugi felt as if he was being torn in two. _How can I be in love with two people at once? What do I do? Maybe… maybe I'm just mistaken about my feelings for Atem?_

Yugi then spent a decent amount of time trying to sort out what his feelings towards these two people really represented. Yugi ended up deciding it was ultimately a moot point to think about this, as his feelings for Atem would never be reciprocated. He'd just have to ignore those feelings. He'd stay with Tea, his friendship with Atem would rebound, and these feelings would slowly become a confused blip, driven by adrenaline and madness, in a long timeline of friendship.

_Yes, that's right. Atem kept going on about friendship that day when we entered into his memory room. He views me as a friend… or does he?_

That one question unravelled Yugi's entire thought process and plan. Yugi recalled all of Atem's other behaviour since he had come back. The looks he gave him. How tight he held him when their souls found each other again. How livid and fiercely protective he was when Yugi told him about how he ended up in the ICU. How he teased Yugi. How his past girlfriends 'left something to be desired'. The slight blush he saw colour Atem's cheeks just earlier today when Atem reached around him to arrange some cards.

_Could he…? No…._

The realization hit Yugi like a ton of bricks. This realization then led to numerous others, many stemming from his interactions with Atem back during their adventures. Their bond, that warmth, that something more that lingered between them. _Has he been in love with me this whole time? And more importantly, have I…._ Yugi looked up at Atem, who was happily talking with an enthusiastic Tea about dancing. He needed to sort things out. And the first step in doing this was having some time alone with Tea.

Yugi then asked Atem to leave for the evening. After a long conversation with Tea, Yugi received the clarity that he needed and he made up his mind. Tea had left, and Yugi stayed up late waiting for Atem to come back for the night. When he didn't return, Yugi decided to go to sleep and talk to Atem first thing in the morning. But his willpower quickly faded, and he went out into the night to find Atem.

Breaking out of his daze, Yugi lifted his head slowly in the hopes of finding a clock, trying his best not to wake the sleeping man beside him. He failed.

"Mmmm…." Atem groaned, half opening his eyes, only to see a mess of tricoloured hair. "… Yugi?" He mumbled groggily.

"Who else would it be?" Yugi responded teasingly, rolling over to look at Atem. Atem smiled.

"With hair like that, no one else." He said tenderly, kissing Yugi's forehead.

Yugi snuggled in closer, Atem pulling him in so he could nestle his face against Yugi's hair. Their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together, like two pieces of a puzzle. Several minutes passed before either made a sound.

Atem groaned.

"What?" Yugi asked.

"As much as I would love to spend the day with you cuddled up in bed, we unfortunately have something else a bit more... pressing." Atem said, a bitter note colouring his voice.

Yugi lifted his head, finally getting a good look at the alarm clock.

"It's only 11:37." Yugi stated, his head flopping back down onto the pillow. "We've got plenty of time."

"Well, I guess a few more minutes in bed can't hurt, A _ibou_." Atem said playfully. Yugi smiled impishly.

At least an hour had passed before the two had finally gotten out of bed. Then a half an hour was spent as they took a shared shower.

Yugi cheerfully walked down the stairs to go raid Joey's fridge, his hair still damp. He put on a pot of coffee and tossed some bread in the toaster, a dreamy grin on his face. He still couldn't believe that Atem actually felt the same way. The pure joyful absurdity of it all almost made him forget the showdown that was fated to take place tonight. His heart suddenly plummeted back to Earth.

 _I had gotten so wrapped up with my own personal problems that I had almost forgot about the mystery duelist. Who is this guy? He's… dangerous._ A chill ran down his spine.

Atem reached the bottom of the stairs in time to catch Yugi sigh, robotically stirring cream into a mug of coffee while his brow knitted in concern.

"You're thinking about tonight, aren't you?" Atem asked gently, giving Yugi a gentle hug from behind, resting his chin on the shorter man's shoulder.

"How can I not? You saw what… happened last time. This guy is not messing around. He clearly has a bone to pick and is not above using violence to achieve an end." Yugi responded quietly.

Atem slowly spun Yugi around to look him in the eye. The fire and resolve behind Atem's ruby eyes were not lost on Yugi.

"His grievance is with me. You do not need to be involved, _Hikari._ In fact, I want you to leave this to me. I can't have you put in harm's way again. I could never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."

Yugi bristled. "Like hell, Atem. We've been through this already, many times in fact. I am coming with you and that is final. You need me and I need you. We are stronger together." Yugi said defiantly, punctuating his last word with a swift poke to Atem's bare chest. His amethyst eyes were hardened and determined.

Atem opened his mouth to retort, but Yugi signalled he was finished talking about this by holding out the second mug of coffee to Atem – black, just how he liked it.

"Let's have breakfast, then we will finish up our preparations."

Atem closed his mouth. He knew he could not win this one. _I just hope I can keep him safe._

Sipping his coffee, Atem moved to sit at the table, but not before noticing a piece of paper left at one of the spots. He nearly spat out his coffee.

/

Atem,

I've left to run some errands. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you want! You'll need it after the 'sweet dreams' you had last night ;)

Joey

/

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've got a moment, please drop a comment! Good, bad or otherwise, I'd love to hear what you think! 
> 
> Ah finally! The puzzle boys are together at last! I wasn't going to leave you, kind reader, in soap opera-esque angsty unrequited love blue balls purgatory forever! This was honestly my favourite chapter to write, and I hope it showed. Also, if you've gotten to this point and are still curious to see what the M version's like, the link to the alternative chapter is posted in the first A/N. Have a look if you dare. I'm sure you can guess what this chapter is missing...
> 
> There are two chapters left in this story, and the next one's going to test these two's relationship… and oh boy, you think the drama's over? You haven't seen what I've got in store for you. Stay tuned.


	7. The Dark Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: lots of colourful cursing in this chapter.
> 
> Howdy there Aibous! The penultimate chapter's upon us, and as the chapter title says, it gets a bit… dark. And emotional. But I love writing emotional stuff, so what's new? I hope you enjoy!

A cacophony of voices filled the Muto family room. Heated voices, calm voices, scared voices. Much to Atem's chagrin, the whole crew minus one had descended upon the Muto residence an hour earlier in preparation for the showdown that was to occur this evening. His friends' insistence on helping had spurred Atem to go on the defensive, emphatically trying to convince the others to value their safety and to not engage with the mystery duelist. This went over _really_ well.

"Come on, man. We've faced much worse!" Tristan cried, trying to get Atem's attention from across the room.

"Yeah, remember the time when we helped you save Egypt? Come on, that was much more dangerous than this!" Joey nearly snarled in frustration. Atem just stood in front of Joey with his arms crossed, unperturbed by the confrontational tone in Joey's voice.

"This is different, Joey." Atem stated evenly.

"Come on Atem, you know you need us. Don't be such a stubborn ass about it. Accept our help graciously for once." Mai said.

"Let me help you. It's the least I can do, given what you've done for me." Bakura appealed.

"I don't know if I can live with myself if any of you were to get hurt. I will do this by myself in order to ensure you all remain safe." Atem reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Don't be a martyr, Atem!" The usually serene Serenity snapped, causing a hush to befall the room. Atem looked at her in amazement. Serenity briefly composed herself, then turned to the other tricolour haired man.

"Yugi, you've been quiet… what are your thoughts?" Serenity asked, bringing the lost in thought Yugi back to reality.

Yugi looked briefly at Atem, who looked worried and mildly defeated. Choosing his words carefully, he spoke. "I understand where you're coming from, Atem. But for Ra's sake, you need to understand that we will be beside you no matter what. And we accept whatever risks that following you into the shadows might bring."

There was several moments of silence. Atem eventually sighed. "Honestly Yugi, I agree that we are all stronger together. I-I just care about you all." His voice broke a little at the word care.

"Aww, come over here, you big lug!" Joey wrapped an arm around Atem's neck, pulling him in for a rough hug.

"How adorable of you, you ol' softie!" Tristian came in strong, knocking Joey and Atem off balance, causing the three men to topple to the ground. Yugi couldn't help but laugh as he watched his best friends and his partner rolling around on the floor in a moment of levity before the oncoming storm.

"Hey Yugi. I've been wondering, where's Tea?" Mai inquired once the laughter settled.

Yugi blanched slightly. "Not here. We broke up." Yugi said quickly.

"YOU WHAT?" Mai cried, "Why?!"

"It's not the time nor the place, Mai." Yugi responded, avoiding her eyes. "I will fill you guys in after we deal with that mystery duelist. Speaking of which, we need to get moving. It's 8:40."

Despite the protests from Mai, Yugi's revelation about his relationship with Tea was quickly put on the back burner as he corralled the crew. The crew grabbed their jackets and duel disks, an ominous hush ending their conversations. They walked towards their cars in silence, nervous and unsure of what the night would bring.

* * *

They parked their cars a couple blocks away from the site where the showdown was to occur and walked the rest of the way. Yugi's heart started hammering as he recalled the last time he was here. He remembered the cocky, taunting tone of the mystery duelist. The searing, white hot pain as he was being beaten. The cool, damp asphalt his cheek rested against as he faded out of consciousness…

Atem noticed the shift in Yugi's body language as they walked closer to the spot. He seemed to shrink into himself, features hardened, his eyes fixated on the ground and slightly glassed over.

"Yugi…"

When Yugi didn't respond, Atem decided to open up the link.

_Are you alright, Aibou?_

_I will be once this is all over._

_I'm here for you, you know that? You don't need to shoulder your burdens all by yourself. If you want to talk, I'm always here._

Yugi looked up from the ground, his violet eyes twinkling in the dim streetlights. His features softened upon seeing Atem's soft, reassuring smile. Yugi smiled back and affectionately bumping into Atem in a wordless gesture of gratitude. Atem fought off the urge to stop and kiss him right then and there. They had both agreed that the group (minus Joey, who had already been privy to their... realization last night) did not need to know the details of the nature of their relationship right now. There were more pressing matters, namely, this mystery duelist. So instead, Atem grinned at Yugi and responded through the link.

_Let's do this, my love._

The group rounded the corner of Warehouse 331 and stopped dead in their tracks. Just like last time, a solitary cloaked individual stood beneath a streetlight, the brim of his hood obscuring his face. A crazed laugh echoed through the evening air.

"See, I KNEW there had to be a better way to challenge the Pharaoh! By the gods, Yugi, you've done it!" the cloaked male practically shrieked. "Atem! So kind of you to grace us all with your presence once again!" he mockingly sneered.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Atem commanded, his voice rife with power.

"Oh, my identity will be known to you in good time, Pharaoh." The man let his hood fall, revealing a shock of white hair and sapphire blue eyes. Those blue eyes did a once over of Atem, then they met Atem's stare with abhorrence. "First on the agenda, I have to tell you a story. Hmmm…. tell you a story? Maybe I should show it to you instead!" the man cackled again, his white hair flaring with power that seemed to originate from the device around his temples. A burst of blue light suddenly erupted from the man, blinding the group momentarily. After a few seconds, their surroundings materialized once again, but this time, it was decidedly different.

The group was standing in front of a large white mansion with rolling green lawns and ornate pillars. There were three luxury cars in the driveway, sleek and almost… futuristic in their design. A tall, brown-haired man had just exited the front door, walking briskly towards a waiting car. Hot on his heels was a young boy, not more than the age of eight, who was tugging at the hem of the man's long coat.

"I will be back in a few days. I have business to attend to." The man said in a distinctly dry tone, his face finally coming into view.

Yugi and Atem looked at each other, wide eyed and in disbelief.

"Is that Kaiba?!" Joey cried out.

"But father, you promised!" The white-haired boy pleaded, his eyes brimming with tears.

With a swift tug, the man dislodged the boy from his coat. The boy stumbled backwards.

"You know how important this trip is to Kaiba Corp. My research is paramount to our livelihood." Kaiba said dismissively. He got into the waiting car without a single look back. The small boy fell to his knees and knelt on the driveway, watching the car speed away while tears streamed down his cheeks.

The scene swirled, and the crew felt themselves being pulled away. This time when their surroundings rematerialized, they found themselves on the periphery of an exuberant dinner party. The white-haired boy was again front and center in this scene, this time appearing to be in his early teens. He stood beside Kaiba, looking uncomfortable in a crisp white suit. Kaiba was discussing business in quiet tones with three other men, while the white-haired boy stood by impatiently. After a few moments, the boy tried to get his father's attention.

"Not now, Victius." Kaiba said curtly. "These men have important information to tell me."

"Why do you never make time for me, father?" Victius mumbled. Kaiba turned to stare at his son, his blue eyes unreadable. Kaiba then excused himself from his conversation with the businessmen and motioning for Victius to follow.

The two Kaibas walked out onto a balcony, with Yugi and the group following spectrally behind. Kaiba rested his forearms against the railing, looking out into the night pensively. After a few moments, the younger Kaiba spoke up.

"Father, please. Why are we here? And why are you always working? I never see you, and when I do, you're always distracted by work!" Victius said, his voice coloured with hurt and confusion.

"I do what I do for you and for the company." Kaiba stated matter-of-factly.

"Come on, I've heard that answer over a hundred times now. How is all of this going to help us, father?"

Kaiba scrutinized his son. He let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, if you really must know, I will tell you. But you may not like the answer."

Victius nodded.

"You see, when I was around your age, I inherited Kaiba Corp. from my step-father. I poured my very soul into creating this company as you see it today. I was successful, until I met my greatest rival… Yugi Muto."

Kaiba then went into an explanation at length of his surprise defeat at the hands of Yugi and his various attempts to regain his world championship title, only to be foiled by Yugi and the Nameless Pharaoh.

"Then in a series of events even I don't fully understand, the Nameless Pharaoh – Atem – saved the world once again and retired to the Afterlife. But I wasn't done with him yet. Even after pouring all of my energy and R+D money into developing a way to reach Atem in the afterlife so I could finally defeat him, I still… lost." Kaiba explained.

Victius looked as confused as ever. "Why do you care so much about this Pharaoh and beating him?"

"Son, in order to be considered successful in life and business, you must be the very best. And to be the best, you must defeat the best." Kaiba said his eyes hardened.

"You don't really believe that, Father?" Victius responded in disbelief.

"I will never be happy or fulfilled until I am the best." Kaiba said curtly.

"Is this why you spent all of those nights working overtime? You're trying to find a way to beat this ancient Pharaoh so you can call yourself the best? Do you know how crazy that sounds?"

"I do not expect you to understand, Victius."

"But what about the other things in your life? Mokuba? Me? Aren't we not good enough to deserve some of your time and attention?"

Kaiba looked at him, clearly hurt. "I do this all for you."

"Bullshit! You're selfishly chasing a stupid goal! And for what? To stroke your ego?!" Victius yelled, spittle flying.

"Don't you dare speak to me in that manner." Kaiba said sternly, brushing by his son as he headed back to the party.

"Do you even love me?" Victius cried out, his voice breaking. Kaiba stopped.

"I do. And one day, you will understand Victius. But for now, I have to work." Kaiba said over his shoulder. Kaiba strode off to return to the party.

Victius walked over to the balcony railing and leaned up against it as the tears started streaming down his face. After a few minutes, his sobs morphed into yells, as he crumbled in upon himself.

Atem and the group stared on in stunned disbelief at the scene they had just witnessed.

"He duelled you in the afterlife?" Yugi asked Atem, his eyes not leaving the scene in front of him.

"Yes. Kaiba lost. He still had not learned his lesson." Atem responded distantly.

"His lesson?" Yugi asked.

Their conversation was cut short when Victius started talking to himself.

"My father cares more about this fucking Pharaoh than me! What kind of messed up bullshit is this? All of my life, my father has been obsessed by this need to beat this Pharaoh. That's why he was never around." Victius Kaiba muttered to himself, trembling slightly as his rage started building. "I am going to do something about this."

Kaiba's obsession with regaining his title had clearly grown out of proportion after the afterlife duel, infiltrating into every aspect of Kaiba's life. The madness that had been fostered out of Kaiba's pride and need to be the best had claimed not only Kaiba, but another victim by proxy: his son. Although conflicted, Yugi's heart went out to this poor boy. He couldn't imagine being brought up in the manner that he did, with an absentee father chasing after a prideful pipe dream while neglecting the other, more important things that were right in front of him. He looked at Atem, who was looking upon the boy with a mixture of concern and guilt.

"It's not your fault, you know." Yugi said softly, reaching out and squeezing Atem's hand.

"I can't help but feel it is. I never though Kaiba would become… like this. And his son… he should have never been brought into our longstanding conflict." Atem quietly responded. Yugi squeezed his hand harder.

"You couldn't have known, partner."

"I have to fix this… somehow." Atem muttered.

Before Yugi could respond, Victius began to talk to himself again.

"I've got it. I am going to go back in time to before I was born, resurrect the Pharaoh myself so my father can beat him once and for all. I can grow up with a normal life and a normal father. I may even beat the Pharaoh into submission myself for good measure, for all of the pain and suffering he's caused me throughout my entire life!" Victius' speech was pressured, his eyes devious and dark.

"I WILL RESURRECT THE PHARAOH!" Victius screamed into the night.

The scene swirled, and the group found themselves being pulled away once again. This time, they were returned to their present time. All eyes turned to Atem, whose features were obscured by shadows.

"Does that answer your question, Atem?" Victius sneered, his eyes filled with hatred. "Did you enjoy our little trip down my memory lane? You ruined both my father's life and my life. And for what, so you can be the _hero?_ And _save the day_? Fuck you!" He spat.

"You're certifiable! You make no sense!" Joey exclaimed.

"You don't really know the Pharaoh. If you did, I promise you would change your mind!" Tristan said, raising his fists.

Atem shot the two men a cautionary look, who were both clearly debating running over and brawling with the white-haired youth. Atem then focused his attention back on the white-haired youth. "Victius, I know I can never apologize enough…"

"Then save your hollow words, Pharaoh. Your lies don't work on me. I've spent three full years researching you and preparing for this duel. I know how you lie and deceive. You hurt everyone around you. You are a menace, and I will be the one to put you into your place. And when I win today, you WILL duel my father in this time, and YOU WILL LOSE. Or else you will face the consequences."

"I don't respond well to threats." Atem growled.

"Oh, this is not a threat. This is a promise. And to prove that to you, I will give you a little taste of the 'consequences' right now." As if possessed, Victius' eyes started to glow white, power enveloping the man like a web of electricity. This power started to focus into a beam.

"I won't allow you to hurt him!" Yugi cried out, darting in front of Atem, arms outstretched.

"Yugi, no!"

Yugi was hit square in the chest by the blast of power that erupted off Victius, causing both him and Atem to launch backwards against the warehouse wall.

"Yugi, YUGI!" Atem cried out, gathering Yugi's limp body into his arms. "Yugi, can you hear me!?"

The whole gang rushed over to surround the two men. After what felt like a millennium, Yugi stirred weakly.

"Don't... worry about me… I will be fine." Yugi wheezed, his breathing laboured.

"Yugi, you… you… Ra dammit, never do that again." Atem swore angrily as he tightly embraced his _Aibou_.

Yugi reached up, cupping the side of Atem's face with his hand tenderly. "You can scold me later. Now go deal with this madman."

Atem hesitantly handed off Yugi to Joey and got to his feet. As he walked over towards the adolescent Kaiba, the air became decidedly colder and the streetlights flickered. Then everyone in the street felt a massive power surge erupt from Atem's body.

"Uhh, A-Atem?" Tristan stammered. Atem ignored him, choosing to address Victius instead.

"Like I said before, I don't respond well to threats." Atem said darkly. "You nearly killed him."

"What, that little runt? Unimportant little men who pretend to be powerful deserve to be put in their place. I don't know why you still choose to associate with weaklings like that." Victius taunted.

"Say that one more time and see what happens." Atem threatened ominously, his voice low and even.

"Hey guys… something's going on with Atem." Bakura tugged at Joey's collar, causing the group to divert their attention away from Yugi and take in the scene that was unfolding in the street.

Atem and Victius were staring each other down, power crackling between them. But what was most concerning about this tableau was the readily visible dark aura that seemed to seep off Atem's partially silhouetted form.

Clearly revelling in pressing his opponent's buttons, Victius continued with his verbal assault. "You know, he pretended to be you when we first met. Not very convincingly, I might add. Why'd you associate with such a pathetic, weak, lying piece of shit is beyond me, oh _mighty Pharaoh_." Victius crowed gleefully. Atem was silent.

Yugi finally started to regain his bearings. As he repositioned himself gingerly, Yugi quickly realized that all of his friends were staring ahead as if they were in a trance. Yugi squinted at the scene for a moment, before finally realizing the gravity of the situation unfolding in front of his eyes.

"Atem!"

Atem did not respond. The dark aura continued to billow out behind him, like a toxic fog. Yugi tried another tactic, desperately reaching out to him through the link.

_Atem! What are you doing?!_

Once again there was no response. Yugi could feel a turbulent cloud of rage, guilt and darkness enveloping the once Pharaoh's consciousness.

Quickly running out of options, Yugi clambered out of Joey's arms and made a move towards Atem.

"ATEM NO!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohhh boy Atem. Well, they did call him Yami for a reason, right? The shadow games are upon us. Tune in next time for the last chapter, because I'm wrapping up this story with a bang!


	8. Becomes Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, it's the final chapter! Last time, we left off with Atem living up to his nickname. Let the shadow games begin?

Consumed by his guilt, fear and insurmountable anger, Atem found himself involuntarily tapping into a side he had vowed to never unleash again since his brush with the Orichalcos: the darkness within. The small part of Atem's mind that remained rational as the anger and madness continued to claim his thoughts knew that this was wrong. But once one tapped into this portion of ancient Egyptian magic – invoking a shadow game – it was a difficult process to stop. It didn't help that Kaiba's son continued to taunt him mercilessly, adding oxygen to the fire that was Atem's growing anger. Victius had started to diversify his insults and was now belittling everything Atem loved.

"And that Joey, what a certifiable idiot! God, and that accent is like nails on a chalkboard!"

Atem tried to fight back the darkness, but every word stoked his rage. The darkness continued to billow.

"Could you pick a worse ace card? Dark magician is weak! Also, why the fuck you'd even entertain using Kuriboh is something I will never understand."

The darkness around Atem grew, malignant and unrestrained.

"Where is that what's-her-face… Tea or what have you? Have you finally started scaring your friends off? I'd sure be running. You're clearly insane! Look at you, going all dark side. Like that's gonna scare me. What are you gonna do? Send me to the _Shadow Realm?_ I'd like to see you try, you hack!" Power started to crackle around Victius again. "DUEL ME!"

Atem was losing the battle against the darkness. It took every ounce of strength he had to hold the shadows at bay. Once this shadow game truly started, the shadow realm would claim the loser for all of eternity. Atem could not forgive himself if Victius got hurt because he could not keep his temper in check. He felt something brush against his consciousness, but he remained focused on trying to stop himself from going past the point of no return. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, pulling him backwards.

"ATEM STOP!"

Atem blinked, his trance breaking. Victius, who had been yelling his insults all the while drawing his cards to start the duel, seemed to break out of his mania briefly and was now surveying the scene curiously. Yugi continued to cling onto Atem, pulling him backwards, screaming his name repeatedly.

"ATEM!"

"Y-Yugi?" Atem blinked.

Atem shrugged off Yugi's hold, then slowly turned to face him. As he did, Atem caught a glimpse of the shadows his anger had created staring to dissipate. Both men stood in the partially illuminated street panting. They held eye contact. Amethyst on crimson.

"What were you thinking?" Yugi asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

"I-I wasn't. You… got hurt. I thought he was going to kill you or turn on someone else. He had to be stopped before… he…. but before I realized it the shadows…" Atem's voice caught. The look of concern in Yugi's eyes caused his chest to constrict and his heart to twist. Just like what happened with the Orichalcos.

"Oh Yugi, what have I done?" Atem felt the tears well up, his fear returning. _I've broken his trust again. And the way he's looking at me. Oh Ra, what have I done?_ "I am so sorry Yugi. I promised you I'd never let my anger and the darkness consume me again. I'd completely understand if you wanted to… leave." Atem choked out the last word, eyes diverting to the pavement to hide the tears that were now flowing freely.

* * *

The group behind the two tricolour haired men had grown by one. Tea had joined just in time to witness Yugi dive at Atem as the darkness grew.

"What's going on?" Tea asked, tapping Joey on the shoulder.

Joey shot her a look as if he just saw a ghost. "W-what are you doing here? I thought..."

"I'm here to support my friends. The thing between Yugi and I might be unexpectedly over, but I can't use that as an excuse to abandon my friends when a mad man is threatening both my friends and my city." She said with conviction. Typical Tea.

"Well, here it goes. Da madman's name is actually Victius Kaiba, he's da son of Kaiba come from da future. He's here to exact his revenge because his father's obsession with Atem ruined his childhood." Joey summarized succinctly. Tea's eyes went wide.

"Excuse me, but what the hell?"

"My thoughts exactly. Now, Victius has been instigating Atem, getting him all hot under the collar. He then tried to use his powers to blast Atem into da next week, but Yugi ran out in front of him taking da blast full on and got hurt. Atem then became consumed by his own rage, and started invoking a shadow game. Now Yugi's trying to snap him out of it." Joey relayed.

Tea was silent, her eyes the size of saucers.

"Oh look!" Joey interjected before Tea could speak. He pointed towards Yugi.

Yugi and Atem were now facing each other. They were silent. Atem was shaking, looking at the ground. Yugi stood steadfast, face angled up at Atem, his gaze unwavering despite the tears in his eyes. The darkness that once loomed around Atem had completely receded.

The two men had decided to take their conversation to the link.

_Atem, for the last time –_

_I don't know what took over me._

_Atem –_

_Why aren't you running away? You see what I'm capable of. I clearly have a dark side… people have called me Yami, for Ra's sake. I nearly hurt someone. If you know what's best for you…_

_Will you hear me out!?_ Yugi snapped in frustration, his voice ringing in Atem's consciousness and causing him to look at Yugi directly. _You have a dark side. We all do. And when Victius hurt me, you were just trying to protect us. You got carried away. You let your emotions take over, it happens to the best of us. But see, you were able to best them._

 _Without you, I don't know if I could have._ Atem's inner voice was uncharacteristically small.

 _I don't believe that. Not even for a second. Maybe I sped things up, sure, but I know you. Arguably better than you know yourself. You are_ _ **good**_ _, Atem._ Yugi stepped forward, grabbing Atem's hands in his. He gave them a gentle squeeze, smiling up at Atem. _I know your heart._

That familiar warmth radiated from Yugi's end of the link, the one they both now knew was love. Atem couldn't help but smile back, his heart lifting a little.

 _I know we said we wouldn't make today about us, but dammit Yugi._ Atem teased.

 _Oh, don't be coy and kiss me already._ Yugi winked. Atem happily obliged.

The group stared on in surprise and awe as the two men suddenly shared a passionate embrace. Tristan's jaw hit the ground, Serenity giggled, Bakura and Mai grinned and Joey hollered in approval. Tea just nodded solemnly. She had always wondered what Yugi's relationship with the spirit of the puzzle was actually like back in high school. Ever since Atem had returned from the afterlife, she had suspected that their bond went deeper than they all had initially thought, even beyond what Yugi and Atem had thought themselves. She now had her answer.

Joey's boisterous hollering brought the two back to reality. They broke apart, Yugi's face an adorable shade of pink.

"Um, excuse me, what the fuck?" Victius, who had been momentarily forgotten by the group, made his presence known by crudely shouting across the street. "Are we done with whatever the hell that was?" he gesticulated in the two Pharaohs' direction. "Because you have a duel to lose Pharaoh!"

Atem grinned, looking at his _Hikari_ , who nodded in silent agreement. "You want to duel me? Well, you're going to have to duel us both."

"The fuck?"

"If you're really as good as you think you are, this should really be no problem. You can even double your starting life points and your turns." Yugi shrugged nonchalantly.

"I beat you once before, I can do it again!"

"Very well…" Atem started.

"…Let's duel!" Yugi finished ardently. They slammed their decks into their duel disks in perfect synchrony.

It was a duel for the ages. Cyber dragons hit the field in full force, special summoned out of the gate and quickly fused into cyber end dragon. Yugi's Silent and Atem's Dark Magician Decks fended off the battery, with Yugi's deck putting in the majority of the work. A perfectly timed mirror force from Yugi broke the cyber end dragon and opened up the field for a direct attack. A back and forth ensued. Traps were sprung. Spells were cast. Finally, the board ended up with Dark Magician and Silent Magician Lv8 on one side, and nothing on the other.

"You have the honours, _aibou_." Atem said, gesturing towards the field. Victius side of the field had been cleared and he was left defenseless. One more strike by Yugi's Silent Magician Lv8 and Victius would be defeated. Yugi looked out towards Victius, who appeared to be imploding in front of their eyes. His anger had peaked earlier, and was now being quickly replaced by despair.

"Just do it" Victius choked out, raw and defeated.

After a quietly uttered command, Yugi's Silent Magician ended the duel. Victius crumpled to the ground with a strangled yell. The holograms disappeared and Atem walked towards the adolescent and stood in front of him.

"This once helped your father open his eyes." Atem said quietly, raising his hand palm first. A burst of energy erupted from Atem's outstretched hand, illuminating the street briefly. The boy cried out and grasped his head. Atem looked expectantly down at the boy, whose eyes had softened despite the pain he was in.

Yugi walked over to stand beside Atem. He raised an eyebrow. _Was a mind crush really necessary?_

 _Better safe than sorry. He is a Kaiba after all._ Atem shrugged a shoulder.

Yugi shook his head, then crouched down in front of the adolescent and extended his hand.

"Here."

Victius stared at Yugi's hand, unsure, his blue eyes quivering.

"I know I can never fully understand what you must have gone through, but I do know that vengeance never brings long term satisfaction." Yugi said. "You can spend the rest of your life trying to exact revenge, cut down your perceived enemies and try to right the wrongs of the past but will that really change anything? And more importantly, will it really make you happy?"

The adolescent in front of him started to crumble again, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"And if you continue to pursue vengeance, you may just end up like your father: obsessed with an unobtainable goal and driven to madness." Yugi finished quietly. Victius looked up, his eyes wide.

"Am I becoming my father?" Victius asked, a look of mortification growing on his face.

Yugi hesitantly put a hand on Victius' shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Not yet. You still have time."

Victius took a shaky breath and stood up. Yugi followed suit. Victius' appeared tormented, as he had finally started to realize the consequences of his actions.

"What have I done… I nearly killed you Yugi. All because I was angry and hurt. I made you two out to be the villains in my life ever since figuring about my own father's motivations. But I was wrong. And all I've done is cause a world of chaos and hurt. And yet, you're here, trying to help me. I don't deserve any of this." Victius trembled slightly.

Yugi regarded this broken and hurting teen in front of him. His enduring empathy lead him to say something he wasn't ever expecting to say to the man who nearly killed him.

"I forgive you, Victius." Yugi said.

Everyone looked at Yugi like he had gone insane. Yugi appeared unfazed.

_Aibou?_

_Trust me on this one, Atem._

Yugi offered up his hand again to Victius. Victius slowly reached out and grasped it.

"How do I even go about repaying you for what you've done to help me?" Victius said, his teary eyes moving between Yugi and Atem.

"You don't need to repay either of us. Just go and live your life on your own terms. Do not let the sins of the father become the sins of the son." Atem responded, taking after Yugi's lead.

"And try to cut your father some slack. He was always the type to become preoccupied with a task. Kaiba Corp., Duel Monsters, Atem…" Yugi chuckled when Atem shot him an odd look, "He shows he cares in weird ways. Just go and ask your uncle!"

"Yeah, Uncle Mokuba always says he's a 'quirky' individual." Victius laughed, his demeanor lightening. Yugi and Atem smiled at the understatement of the year.

Yugi signalled to the rest of the group to come over. They approached, hesitantly introducing themselves to Victius.

"Hey, it's getting bit late now. Anyone want to come over for a drink and a bite to eat? We can order in." Yugi offered. He then turned to Victius. "Feel free to join us! I'd like to get to know you better, with you being a Kaiba and all. Also, where have you been staying? If you need a place to crash, you're welcome to take my spare room."

Everyone looked at Yugi again as if he had grown a second head, including Victius. Yugi once again looked unfazed.

"W-why? … you know I nearly killed you, right? Why are you being so kind to me?" Victius responded meekly.

"He's got a point, Yuge." Joey responded warily.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Tristan chimed in.

"I honestly think you're a good person. A good person who has had a bit of a rough go. And I know how it feels to be lonely and angry at your circumstances." Yugi responded evenly, ever the bleeding heart. "So, what do you say?"

"Ok." Victius responded with a smile.

As the group started to disperse back to their cars, Yugi caught a glimpse of someone who he hadn't expected to be there. Tea was standing a few feet away from the group, her eyes fixated on him. Yugi motioned to the others to go on ahead without him. Atem stopped, looking back at Yugi.

_Go on, Atem. I will catch up with you guys in a bit._

Atem nodded once, then walked off with the rest of the group.

"Hey."

"Uh, hey. I didn't think I would see you here." Yugi responded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"This is important, and I would never leave my friends in their time of need." Tea responded simply. An awkward moment of silence hung between them.

"Tea, I'd understand if you never want to see me again. I'd get it, I truly–" Yugi started.

"So… you and Atem, huh?" Tea interrupted, setting her own agenda.

"Uh, yeah."

"When did you know… you had feelings for him?"

"I don't really know. I think I might have always… felt this way, but never really realized it until recently." Yugi found himself flushing at this line of questioning.

Tea looked pensive for a moment while Yugi held his breath.

"Yugi, I want you to know something. I don't hate you. Yes, this hurts. I can't lie. And it will take me some time to get my head around all of this. But before all of this, we were the best of friends. We've been that way since we were kids. And… I want to remain in your life. And in Joey's, Tristan's and even Atem's."

"Really?" Yugi asked, surprised.

"Ultimately, I want to see you happy. And if Atem makes you happy, then I guess I am happy."

"I want you to be happy too. Tea, I'm sorry I couldn't be… that person… for you."

"You should never apologize for how you feel. For who you love." Tea said, a small, sad smile gracing her lips. "Plus, I've got to admit, you two are kind of adorable together."

Yugi laughed loudly, all of the tension he had been feeling erupting into that laugh. Of course she would be so supportive and reasonable. He didn't deserve friends like he had.

After a full minute, Yugi had finally composed himself to speak again. "Want to join us back at the card shop?"

"I still need some time, but maybe later?"

"Of course. You're always welcome at anytime."

They parted ways, and Yugi started making his way back to the Muto residence.

* * *

After spending time with Yugi and his friends that night, Victius decided to stay around Domino for a bit before leaving for his own time. He also took up Yugi's offer to stay in their guest room.

The morning after the showdown, Yugi and Atem were milling around the kitchen making breakfast.

"How in Ra's name do you know how to use a sword, but I hand you a knife, and you can't even manage to cut a few strawberries?" Yugi teased, his hands on his hips, starting at the mangled mess of red fruit on the cutting board in front of Atem.

"Well, maybe if you gave me the right utensil, I'd do a better job! A sharper, longer knife or something." Atem huffed.

"Like a sword?" Yugi quipped, his eyes gleaming mischievously. Atem became clearly flustered.

"Yugi…" Atem growled, his voice an interesting mix of frustration and flirtation.

Yugi leaned in close, popped a piece of strawberry in his mouth, and gave his _Aibou_ a quick peck on the cheek. "You're so cute when you get flustered." Yugi whispered in his ear, his voice teasingly coy. Atem shot him a look in response, deep and hungry, as if he was debating taking Yugi on the floor right then and there. The moment was quickly spoiled by a third voice ringing throughout the kitchen.

"Good morning! Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?" Victius said, stifling a laugh at the tableau in front of him.

"Nope, you're good!" Yugi responded cheerfully. As he moved away from Atem to greet Victius, Yugi opened the link briefly. _I'm not done with you yet, partner._ Atem choked out loud.

"Is he ok?" Victius looked over at Atem, who turned away, continuing to cough.

"Oh, he's fine." Yugi said with a wave of his hand. "We are making pancakes for breakfast and we've got some strawberries to go on top. Come grab a plate!"

They ate their breakfast together at the table, discussing their plans for the day. Victius was going to check out KC HQ, then start his preparations to go back to his own time. The two Pharaohs warned about not messing around with the timeline too much, and Victius promised to be careful. After some time, Victius left to start his errands.

Yugi and Atem then found themselves alone at the kitchen table, finishing their morning coffee as the Sunday morning light streamed in through the windows. They finally had a moment to themselves to catch up after all of the madness that had gone on in the last week.

"You're doing your PhD? That's very impressive, _Aibou_." Atem beamed proudly.

"Yeah, I finished my masters of archeology last year, and I still have a few years left of my PHD in anthropology. I guess my career choice was partially influenced by you and part by Grandpa." Yugi said sheepishly. "Although I'm sure my work's been building up since I haven't been at the university all week, with the whole nearly dying thing and all."

"Understandable." Atem nodded.

"Hey, mind if I ask you a bit of a personal question?"

"Yugi, we are well beyond this." Atem said affectionately. Yugi blushed.

"Good. I think I may know the answer to this one, but I have to ask you anyways. When we were trying to make you… corporeal… you were a bit, erm, moody. What was that about?"

Atem looked introspective for a moment, shaking his head slightly. "Well, to put it simply, I was heartbroken and angry at myself."

Although Atem was generally a blunt person, Yugi was still mildly taken aback at the direct response he had received. "Why so?"

Atem took a deep breath, as if to steady himself. "I suppose I should start at the beginning. When we shared a body all of those years back, you were my closest friend. And when I departed for the afterlife, it brought a lot into perspective. Specifically, just how close we really had become. I thought I would be happy and whole in the afterlife, as you would be with your friends here. But just like you, I felt a void. And that void became even more apparent when I saw you briefly in that stadium. I didn't have the time to convey much during those few seconds, but in that moment, I realized I wanted to stay. Even if it was just to be able to spend a little more time with you. But I never thought I'd find a permanent way back to the Earthly plane, so I vowed to find you again when you passed on."

"Really?" Yugi asked quietly. "I wanted you back too, but I thought you were happy there, so I didn't even think to bring it up. Nor did I think I could ever find a way to resurrect you. Instead, I did a similar thing and swore to find you when I passed on."

Atem's eyes quivered slightly. "I guess, despite the ceremonial duel proving we could both stand alone and face the challenges that come our way, it never took into account our emotional bond."

"It sure didn't." Yugi replied pensively.

"Then when your soul cried out to mine and pulled me to you, I quickly realized why that void never healed." Atem looked at Yugi lovingly. "You are my—"

"Soulmate." Yugi finished, not needing the link to be able to read Atem's mind.

Atem smiled warmly, nodding slightly. "But that first day back on Earth, I saw you with Tea and felt your love for her. I thought I was too late. That you had moved on. That you were happy. So, I pushed my own feelings aside, because your happiness is more important to me than my own will ever be."

"Atem…"

"But after a while, I realized that I could only repress my feelings so long. I needed to tell you how I felt or else it was going to drive me mad."

"Was… was that what the soul room thing was about?" Yugi asked.

"Yes." Atem chuckled. "But when I started to tell you how I felt, I sensed you pull away and put your mental blocks up. I thought… you were rejecting me." Atem looked at his hands.

"Oh Atem…" Yugi looked pained. "I didn't mean to."

"I felt like a fool. A fool that had fallen in love with his closest friend. A friend who would never see things the same way." A rare blush grew on Atem's cheeks. "And I must apologize, I handled it all very poorly. I let my pride get the best of me."

"Atem…"

"Yes Yugi?"

"That moment when we were in your soul room… the reason why I turned away and blocked you out was because I had just realized how I felt. I trying to process my feelings."

"Really?" Atem looked at him in amazement.

Yugi laughed. "Then you went on this big monologue about friendship, and I was worried that you had sensed how I felt, and were trying to not-so-subtly tell me you felt that you just wanted to be friends."

Atem's eyes went wide, then he laughed at the absurdity of it all. "I thought _you_ were trying to tell me that we should remain as friends. I was trying to repair the damage!"

"You did a really poor job of that too." Yugi jabbed lightly.

"I really did. In addition to the rejection, I was starting to chastise myself for even assuming you could develop feelings for another man."

"Well, I clearly can. I've known that for a while now. College was an eye-opening experience, and basically doubled my dating pool." Yugi chuckled. "To be fair, I never thought you could either."

"Well, let's just say the 'girlfriends' I had in the past were a… by-product of the time I lived in." Atem smiled mischievously, shrugging.

"Oh really?" Yugi said rather excitedly. "It all makes sense now! I always wondered why you never made a move on Tea! She was so clearly into you. She may even still be."

"Explains a lot, doesn't it?" Atem winked. "Wait… how would you know that?"

"That's beside the point." Yugi said, blushing slightly, regretting he had ever brought that tidbit up.

"Nevertheless, I did all that I did to try put you at ease… to return things to the way they once were. I didn't want to lose the most important person in my life – past, present or future – again."

"The way things were… were we ever 'just friends', Atem?" Yugi mused aloud, asking a question he had been asking himself for the last few days.

"Honestly? I don't think we ever really were. It just took us some time to figure that out."

"Too much time, if you ask me." Yugi agreed, leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

In the coming weeks, their lives returned to a new normal. Yugi had reached out to Rebecca Hawkins, who was now one of the top programmers in America, to cash in a favour. Namely, for help with setting up Atem an identity. After filling her in on the recent events, and some grumbling from her end about losing her 'Yugi-poo' (despite herself being engaged), she agreed. Upon asking for a name, the two selves both agreed only one fit the bill: Atem Muto.

Once Atem was officially his own person for the first time in thousands of years, he started to plan out his future. The first step being getting back to doing what he does best: dueling. Maybe he would finally reach out to Kaiba? Having that re-re-re-re-rematch Kaiba seems to be obsessed with would be a good place to start.

As for Yugi, he found himself in a very similar situation once again. Murmurs grew and papers shuffled. Yugi's eyes snapped up from the paper he was grading as the undergraduate students left the tutorial room. _It's nice to be back._ Yugi thought to himself with a smile. _But it will be even nicer to see everyone tonight for a good ol' fashioned night on the town!_ As he was packing up to leave for the day, Yugi heard a throat clear from across the room. Looking up from his bag, he saw a leather clad figure leaning gracefully against the doorway. Hair like a tricoloured sunburst, arms crossed, and crimson eyes twinkling.

"Ready to go, _Aibou_?" Atem asked with a grin.

Yugi smiled as he crossed the floor. He wrapped his arms around his partner's waist in an affectionate greeting.

"What did I say about wearing the leather jacket and leather pants at the same time?" Yugi teased.

"Oh come on, you like it." Atem said with a wink before he leaned in to kiss Yugi tenderly.

"Let's go, my love." Yugi said, grabbing Atem's hand and pulling him through the doorway towards their next adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank you for reading my love letter to Yu-Gi-Oh! I hope you enjoyed it! If you did and you've got a moment, please leave a comment. I always love hearing from you guys!
> 
> If you guys are interested, a sequel to this story is in the works. There is one character that is virtually absent from this story that needs his own post-DSOD content, in my opinion. Oh boy, do I ever have some plans for him! Keep an eye out for it, if you're so inclined. The saga continues.
> 
> -BewdofChaos


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